Letters: Catastrophic fires are notthe result of global warming

I would like to respond to the opinion piece, "Logging will not make forests safer," Aug. 28, by Derrick Jensen.

Wildfires respond to changes in the fuel and fuel modification. This has been shown many times during major wildfires in the Western United States. The fire which occurred near Lake Tahoe several years ago was easily controlled in those areas which had undergone fuel treatment and "logging." The Blackcat Fire in Montana two years ago burned out of control until it burned into thinned forests located on private property. These are only two of many examples where raging wildfires have been controlled in areas where logging and fuel modification has taken place.

Jensen states the "catastrophic fires generally take place in areas where natural ancient forests have been cut and replaced." Large catastrophic fires have occurred in Southern California where old growth forests or logging have never occurred. Also consider the Blue 2 and Siskiyou Complex Fire presently burning in Del Norte County since late June. Both began in an area which is wilderness and have never been logged.

Jensen states, "Commercial logging removes large, fire-resistant trees." That is a misstatement on two counts. First there are no real "fire-resistant trees" in the conifer forests of the Western United States, except old growth redwoods. Even under mild conditions conifer forests will burn. Some conifer species even require a moderate amount of fire to reproduce. Lodgepole and knobcone pine are two varieties which require heat to open the cones and spread the seed.

Secondly the state of California under the Forest Practice Act will only allow a company or landowner to thin and remove trees that are less than 18 inches in diameter at the stump. Forest thinning is not generally considered a "money maker" due to the high cost of the project and the relatively small revenue generated. Rather than making a lot of money, the goal of forest thinning is to reduce the threat of wildfires and to protect the wildland values at risk such as wildlife, watershed values, recreation, scenic views and property values.

Finally global warming is not a major contributor to catastrophic forest fires, as Jensen states.

Rather forest fires contribute to global warming by the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Large catastrophic fires are not the result of global warming.

Jim Erler

Crescent City