Tag: thinning
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Forest Thinning Will Increase Wildfire Risk
- by Charles Thomas, The Oregonian As fires again rage across the West, senators from John McCain, R‑Ariz., to Ron Wyden, D‑Ore., echo the refrain “thin the forests” to prevent wildfires. Unfortunately, most of the advocated thinning will actually stoke the wildfires of the future rather than lessen their occurrence and impacts. Thinning prescriptions proposed in…
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Farm Bill Based on Flawed Assumptions about Forest Health and Wildfire
- by George Wuerthner There are widely held assumptions that logging will reduce or preclude large wildfires and beetle outbreaks. The recent Farm Bill provision that would allow categorical exclusion to log up to 3000 acres without NEPA review is based on flawed assumptions about forest health and wildfire. 1. LARGE WILDFIRE CLIMATE DRIVEN Large…