Maybe I misread the article. I thought the Mother Jones article was about reintroducing forestry management practices (controlled burns) that would lessen forest fire damage. I was just surprised I would be reading something like that in Mother Jones.
I had nearly exactly the same response. Boy, was that a lesson.
Actually I was commenting on the title of the article, which is a misstatement.
Also, clear cutting is an effective strategy in cleaning up under brush, providing fire breaks and stopping the spread of destructive pests like bark beetles.