In 2011, the Wallow Fire in Arizona’s White Mountains burned almost 539,000 acres, becoming the largest megafire in the state’s history. The White Mountain Stewardship Project, which has thinned trees on more than 50,000 acres since 2004, is credited with protecting homes and businesses in several communities during the Wallow Fire. Homeowners Gary Fanning and…
Here’s a great video explaining how collaboration and commercial thinning can help our public forests. Thanks to Vaagen Brothers Lumber of Colville, Wash. for producing it!
After decades of relative silence about national forest management, Virginia’s State-level hunting conservation organizations are making their voice heard. Beginning in 2010 with the George Washington National Forest (GWNF) Forest Plan revision as members of the GWNF Stakeholder Collaborative, Virginia’s State-level hunting organizations entered into partnership with many other national forest user interests. These partnerships…
Readers should beware of ideological or political statements based on “overwhelming science” when the writer doesn’t provide responsible sources. A good example is Brett Haverstick’s March 24 guest opinion that claims science doesn’t support the management and restoration of forests in the face of catastrophic wildfire, insects and disease. There is plenty of peer-reviewed research…
Congressman Greg Walden returns to Oregon for several town halls this week. This is your opportunity to express your opinions on what’s happening in Washington D.C. Please attend your local town hall, and urge Congressman Walden to continue his efforts to bring common sense to federal forest management and to protect and create more good-paying jobs…
Molly Pitts is Rocky Mountain States Director for Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities, and is the SE Colorado SAF Chapter Chair. She originally wrote this article for The Timber Line, the publication of Colorado-Wyoming Society of American Foresters. Recently, the Colorado State Forest Service shared the results of the 2016 Report on the Health of Colorado’s…
A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers have introduced legislation to address the so-called “Cottonwood” case, which is bringing desperately-needed forest projects to a halt. If it’s not fixed, the decision will threaten jobs, recreation and a variety of forest activities. Forestry associations and wildlife groups are calling for action. Here’s why, and here’s how you…
We are pleased to support the Northern Blue Mountains Coalition. This is an effort to increase the pace and scale of restoration and acres treated on the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests to reduce the threat of uncharacteristic wildfire, increase habitat and forage and support economically vibrant communities. Here’s the background on this new coalition: Northern…
Covering Idaho, Montana and portions of the Dakotas, Region 1 of the U.S. Forest Service has reached a grim milestone. Over 35,000 acres of forest projects on Region 1 National Forests are stymied by litigation. The amount of timber tied up in lawsuits (355 million board feet) is now more than region’s entire timber harvest…
Writing for The Oregonian, Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman, Josephine County Commissioner Simon Hare and Polk County Commissioner Craig Pope recently weighed in on the future of the Secure Rural Schools program: The Secure Rural Schools program, which provided funding to timber dependent communities hit hard by declining harvests, is often described as a “lifeline”…