This is my two cents worth and is not meant to be taken as the opinion of anyone else. There really is not much to discuss. People, even in positions to know better, do not know what all of this entails. People talk about environmentalists when most groups that go to court suing on behalf of their members in many cases only consist of 3-5 members. We are not talking about large sized organizations. Larger sized clubs such as the Sierra Club or the John Muir Foundation is another matter entirely. As one that has been caught in the middle of this issue for years let me point out that there are 3 main species of Spotted Owl, another one is a subspecies, all grouped into one all existing category and that is Spotted Owl. Ask the environmentalists which species is the most endangered one and you might be surprised with the answer. I know, I've been there and done that. The problem with lumping all of the species into one generalized heading of Spotted Owl is that each species has their own general habitat and what is good for one species such as the thinning of the dense brush in a forest may be quite injurious to another species. Controlled logging is good for one species of Spotted Owl and for another it is disastrous. It has been my experience that an all inclusive forest policy cannot work effectively to do everything we want it to do. A selective approach based on each individual forest and its needs is a far better method to utilize. Let's say that small, controlled burns in the Sequoia National Forest to clear out the smaller bark beetle killed trees and to open up the under brush is our main purpose, knowing full well that the heat from the fires will scarify the seeds of the Giant Sequoia enabling them to imbibe water and then possibly germinate. For that particular forest the goal not only can be achieved but may be the right solution for that forest. Controlled burns in the Sierra National Forest may not work too well as we have many more dwellings in and among the outskirts of the forest meaning if we do some controlled burns, that the fires can get away from us due to warm temperatures and strong winds, that we risk causing more trouble than we had hoped to initially gain (I hope we learned that lesson in New Mexico). Forest officials have wanted for years to apply herbicides on the under brush which oddly enough is exactly what one species of Spotted Owl has shown to benefit from that kind of thinning as a result but is it better to clear the brush by hand or clear the brush by chemical means and then go in and clear it by hand or machine? I'd rather clear the brush by hand with no chemicals but be able to do some selective brush control or we risk a fire causing widespread damage for the short term but can be beneficial for the forests long term viability. The problem has always been that the people that want to protect the forests are never around when there is a problem. I know of no current environmentalist group sanctioned or funded firemen or strike team to help when a forest fire has started. It is the policy to make no decision in what to do with our forests that cause us the greater risk for the long term. It is a matter of do nothing now and pay a greater price later than to take preventative steps to help the situation for the wildlife and plants we want to try to protect, rather than risk some of the wildlife's almost certain demise based on a projected major fire that no current day environmentalist is willing to step forward and help out with in a crisis situation. People, we've got to take an active role to help the greater good or you and I also will succumb to having others that know nothing about our individual forests create a policy that will affect each and every forest in the US as if the forests were all the same. We should know by now that not all of the individual forests were or are created equal. All of the forests are important to us and to future generations but there are specific forests that have greater importance than others. Compare an old growth Coastal Redwood forest with a Sierra Nevada forest quite a ways from Yosemite and then you will know where I am coming from. Jim
