The recent article “Colorado lawmakers ask Congress to fix wildfire funding issue,” highlights the complex issue of wildfire funding, an issue that directly affects our local national forests. I applaud our state legislators for once again passing a Senate Joint Memorial, strongly sending a message that our national forests can no longer afford to do…
Harvesting dead and dying trees after a fire can help recover the economic value of lost timber, while supporting the replanting of native tree species on the burned forest. Long-term research is finding that “salvage logging” isn’t as damaging to understory vegetation as some fear. The following is a press release from the Pacific Southwest…
Writing for The Hill, a Washington DC newspaper, we explain how reforming federal forest management can help President Trump achieve his goal of boosting American manufacturing jobs: President Donald Trump has consistently pledged to create more American jobs by promoting domestic manufacturing and reforming federal regulations. Forest products represent a major portion of the nation’s manufacturing base. …
The National Fire Fighter Wildland Corp. offers this interesting infographic illustrating the size and severity of today’s wildland fires. Over the past 50 years, 5,060,875 fires have ravaged the United States wildlands, burning a total of 215,878,215 acres. Although spread out over time across the nation, when put into perspective these numbers are quite staggering.
Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities, a coalition supporting the active management of federally-owned forest lands, had the following to say regarding President Obama’s use of the Antiquities Act to expand the size of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument: “President Obama’s use of the Antiquities Act to expand the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument is a violation of the O&C…
Note: This article from HFHC Rocky Mountains Regional Director Molly Pitts originally appeared in the Jan. 5, 2017 issue of Colorado Tree Farmer Alert. As a trained forester and someone involved with natural resource issues throughout the state of Colorado, it is frustrating to me to routinely see our forests not being actively managed, as…
The following white paper, prepared by the National Wildfire Institute, explains their ideas for revitalizing our national forests through bold leadership and modernizing federal land management priorities. OUR DYING NATIONAL FORESTS; A DISASTER OR PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR BOLD ACTION BY A NEW PRESIDENT Prior to the 1980s, the U.S. Forest Service was a world leader…
Today, we grow about twice as much wood in America as we use. Our forests are getting over-crowded and stressed. Hazardous fuels are increasing. Hazardous fuels lead to catastrophic fires or the new term, Megafires. We have seen the devastating impacts of these fires with lives lost, homes destroyed, and millions of acres blackened. Federal…
Last week we had the opportunity to take KXLY-TV in Spokane to the site of the Tower Fire Salvage and Rehabilitation Project on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Thank you to Idaho Forest Group for accommodating us. Here’s the story they filed: The Tower Fire Salvage and Reforestation Project is a response to the 25,000-acre…
This excellent documentary, from The Story Group, tells the stories of Colorado firefighters confronting the growing trend of larger and more severe wildfires. It is another reminder that we can mitigate the impacts of climate change and catestrophic wildfire through active forest management. From the producers: “On a day-to-day basis, we’re being surprised. And in…