tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7058580495310925746.post2341311935655950299..comments2024-01-31T01:18:20.789-08:00Comments on South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership: North Pelican Fire August 30, 2017South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnershiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14342304327630889432noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7058580495310925746.post-34964031655971284162017-08-30T17:04:04.132-07:002017-08-30T17:04:04.132-07:00Natural resource management from the judicial syst...Natural resource management from the judicial system does not work.<br /><br />Look out your window this morning and see air quality diminished to dangerous levels for human consumption.<br /><br />This is not normal. It is the result of over 25 years of not implementing responsible, scientifically based forest management. It is the result of extreme environmental organizations engaged in their litigation industry. (They do not deserve being mentioned by name).<br /><br />These extremists have polarized the issues of single species management to the point where today our forests literally are going up in smoke! Instead of collaborating with land managers and protecting our watersheds, the litigation industry has continually put our governments in a corner where the perspective of one judge is bent to the point of shutting down any meaningful resource management. Regardless if the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, hundreds of millions of dollars are rewarded to the same plaintiffs. What a waste!<br /><br />This insanity continues as our forests burn to the ground. Some folks may reason that fire is good and it is repairing a damaged forest from previous years of miss-management. Hogwash! Fire is natural and important and our forests are over occupied. There are too many trees for the forest soils and watersheds to support. Weak trees become damaged by insects and create fuel loads that burn for months, scorching the soils that soon wash into our streams and rivers. <br /><br />While we watch the gulf states prepare for hurricane Harvey, the source of plywood used to protect windows from rain and wind is burning away on our national forests. Each year the size of the fires increases. We used to be surprised to see a fire over 10,000 acres. Today we have catastrophic wildfires that consume hundreds of thousands of acres and emit millions of tons of carbon dioxide, cyanide, arsenic and particulates dangerous for our lungs and for so much wildlife. <br /><br />This truly is insane and it must stop. The largest landowner in the northwest is our national government. It is time for our representatives in Congress to get their act together and mandate that our resource managers implement holistic, sustainable yield forest practices. <br /><br />We can not wait for some weak argument from some unaffected politicians that get in the way. It is time to get on board and decide to be helpful while those extreme litigants continue to be hateful. We do not have the luxury of time. <br /><br />We may not be able to do much about an incoming hurricane. Get out of the way. We can care for our forests and watersheds. I say to the hateful "Get out of the way".<br /><br /><br /><br />Billy Budd 2017https://www.blogger.com/profile/06235714977542882563noreply@blogger.com