Avoid senseless logging

Letter by Briana Martinez
The Register-Guard
November 20, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

I am an Oregonian, and one thing I love about this state is how many beautiful forests we have. Our acres of forestland are what make our state unique, but the House of Representatives passed a bill Nov. 1 that will put our forests in danger. House Resolution 2936, also known as the Resilient Federal Forest Act, claims to “return resilience to overgrown, fire prone forested federal lands,” but in reality would just open millions of acres of public land (including old growth forest) to logging. Once logged and replanted with same-age trees, these lands would be more likely to burn in the future, not less likely. Old growth forests actually burn less often and less severely than tree plantations because the trees are so big, have thick bark, and can retain moisture very effectively in downed wood and the understory.

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