Recent Controlled Burn on the Mendocino NF
Having both played and worked in timber country (Humboldt
County -circa early/mid 1970s), I have a strong appreciation for well-managed private
and federal forest lands. That support
has only deepened over the last 24 years based on my current career as an
advocate for sustainable recreational opportunities which are dependent on healthy
forests.
Many of us watched as the 2012 82K acre Mill Fire burned
out the core trail network at the Stonyford OHV Area on the Mendocino National
Forest. That fire closed the area to
all public access – including both casual and permitted OHV activity- for one year. For any number of reasons (planning gridlock,
fear of environmental lawsuits, appeals, burdensome regulations, etc.) the
Forest Service was not able to get the salvage sale out in a timely manner and
any merchantable trees were destroyed by the bark beetle.
Pre-Fire Fuels/Timber Project
Today as over 200 logging trucks per day haul salvage
trees off of private timber lands damaged by the 2013 257K acre Rim Fire that
burned in the Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park, and other
lands, not one logging truck has hauled a load from NF lands. The agency
appears to be jammed up by the same political, legal, and regulatory planning-noose
that plagued the Mill Fire.
Article on the Rim Fire Planning Jam
In an effort to become part of a potential solution to
this stalemate, I proudly answered the call
to represent recreation on the Mendocino National Forest’s Firescape
Collaborative. This is part of the Fire
Learning Network’s effort to bring diverse stakeholders together to see if we
can agree on some forest health projects that can protect both the resource and
other related interests such as private property owners, recreationists, and local
businesses.
Example of Shaded Fuel Break Project
Fire Learning Network
I don’t have the answer to the aforementioned planning
and project gridlock. However, it is
clear to me the current paradigm is not acceptable. Prescribed fire has been used for thousands
of years to manage timber lands and must be introduced back into the environmental
equation. I believe it is also important
to reintroduce both pre and post-fire timber harvest into the planning
mix.
Trail/Resource Impacts from 2012 Mill Fire
Healthy forests and vibrant local economies are concepts
that should be supported by both sides of the land-use debate. Gridlock serves neither.
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