The Forest Service is using the threat of wildfires to justify a drastic expansion of commercial logging on our public lands.
That is the contention in an investigative reporting series from Nathan Gilles at Columbia Insight. Many of us in the environmental world have long thought this to be the case, and this series brings the receipts, including internal Forest Service documents, emails, and more.
The Forest Service has received billions of dollars in recent years on top of their normal budget specifically to protect communities from wildfire. If they are using those funds to push commercial logging, they are not only not making communities safer, they may very well be putting communities and forests at greater risk by using methods that increase the risk of high severity fire.
We go deep on Nathan's reporting on the scandal, as well as some of his other science reporting.
*** Quick Reminder to take action to push the Forest Service during the Northwest Forest Plan Amendment comment period. That comment period ends on March 17th, so please take just a few minutes to speak up for our forests. See below for links and resources.
Cascadia Wildlands NWFP Action Page: https://www.cascwild.org/weigh-in-on-the-future-of-northwest-public-forests/
Tribal sign on letter https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdybP5o7aSUBUaBuHV2MpZER54vX-Twmoi72DGJDPqX7jJeNA/viewform
My email is michael@coastrange.org, I love getting feedback and show ideas so drop me line!
Show Notes:
USFS investigative pieces
- Part 1 https://columbiainsight.org/exclusive-the-forest-service-is-using-the-threat-of-wildlfires-to-meet-timber-targets/
- Part 2 https://columbiainsight.org/a-mount-hood-forest-fuel-break-project-could-remove-old-growth-trees/
Other Stories
- Assisted Migration Primer: https://columbiainsight.org/what-is-assisted-migration-and-what-are-the-risks/
- Fungi and Assisted Migration: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/even-trees-need-friends
- How Hot Is Too Hot? https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/magazine/entry/between-hot-drought-and-heat-waves-climate-change-is-killing-trees#%23
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