It was disappointing to read that the Power Plant timber sale has been canceled and that a portion of the sale area was nominated for the Natural Climate Solutions program. This cancellation occurred after thorough vetting by DNR staff and the dismissal of two lawsuits against the sale. Now the DNR must find an equivalent amount of volume elsewhere to replace timber already sold. If the Clallam County commissioners concur with the nomination, one end result will be a reduction of working lands in Clallam County. Climate change is a global problem and removing lands from production in our state will do little to solve the climate crisis. …If timber production is reduced in Washington, others will supply our world’s wood products at a greater cost to the climate and at a loss to our local economy. …County commissioners should reject the climate solutions nomination and support local businesses and districts that rely on timber sales.

Heaps of ladybugs recently turned branches, leaves and patches of trees along a Santa Monica Mountains trail into a moving jumble of red wings and tiny black dots. A cold spell may be the reason for the pileup, said Ileene Anderson, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. “They don’t produce their own body heat,” she said. “So, they group together to try to stay warm. Also, it helps in finding mates.” Anderson, based in Los Angeles, said the phenomenon isn’t unusual. People spot the masses of ladybugs – called aggregations – often during cold times of the year.

A Portland jury on Tuesday awarded nine survivors of Oregon’s 2020 Labor Day fires a total of $85 million in the latest court case against utility PacifiCorp. The award came after a “mini-trial” that lasted a little more than two weeks and was the first in a series to determine compensation for roughly 5,000 fire victims impacted by four megafires that burned thousands of homes and wrought widespread damage. …In June of 2023, a Multnomah County jury found PacifiCorp at fault for the ignition and spread of the Santiam-Beachie, Echo Mountain, South Obenchain and 242 fires. In that first case, the jury awarded $90 million to 17 wildfire survivors. …The next mini-trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 26 and seeks compensation for another nine survivors of the fires, along with the Upward Bound Camp for Individuals with Special Needs in Gates. …The third damages trial is set for April 22 and would include timber companies whose land was burned in the fires.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Tuesday that it is devoting more resources to processing outstanding claims filed by victims of the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history. The 2022 blaze was caused by a pair of prescribed fires that were set by the U.S. Forest Service in an attempt to clear out vegetation to reduce the threat of a catastrophic wildfire. Officials have acknowledged that they underestimated the dry conditions that had been plaguing the region for years. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and mountains were charred, leaving behind damage that experts say will have environmental effects for decades to come. …The agency has received $518 million in claims and has approved $330 million in payments so far for people with losses. The federal government set aside nearly $4 billion last year to pay claims related to the wildfire. Lawsuits have been filed by residents who say FEMA has been slow to pay their claims.