Loggers aren't our evil enemy
By Dick Little
Article Launched: 09/02/2008 01:00:00 AM PDT
It's time Californians saw logging as a savior, not a destroyer. Proper logging of our forests cuts fire danger, and enhances tree growth. Poorly managed forests burn quickly and it costs a lot of money to fight fires, which is one of the reasons our state is in serious debt. It cost a lot of money to fight the Humboldt fire.
Helicopters alone cost about $3,000 an hour to fly. They called in a fire fighting DC-10 jet operated by the Department of Forestry, and that machine costs even more to fly, although it's ability to throw retardant on fires is unparalleled.
Forest fires have been a major problem in our State since the 1800s, and it's getting worse. A group of Republican lawmakers want our state to take some action to reduce the risk. These lawmakers, including some members of Congress, met in Sacramento to lay out a plan that is sending the environmental community into frenzy. The politicians want to increase logging operations as a means of reducing forest fires. Read More
When we do nothing to manage the resources we have been blessed with, Mother Nature has to do it for us. She reminded us this summer in California. A healthy forest is not one that has been declared off limits to logging, it is an invitation for a devastating fire. Common sense management that is developed by professional foresters is what this country needs so we don’t have to continually watch our natural resources go up in smoke.
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