Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Carry_Okie
What is the problem with the Sierra Club's conservation policies you posted? They say the forest benefits from recurring wildfires, and dangerous fuel accumulations should be reduced, and both human caused and naturally occuring fires should be allowed to burn unless they become threatening. I'm not sure what the problem is.
51 posted on 10/28/2003 10:55:03 AM PST by halfdome
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies ]


To: halfdome
The problem with the policy is that the fuel accumulatons wildly exceed the historic stand densities. Please consult the following critique of the Sierra Club Policy, A Burning Desire, A Critique of the Sierra Club Public Lands Fire Management Policy (1999).
52 posted on 10/28/2003 11:07:11 AM PST by Carry_Okie (The environment is too complex and too important to be managed by politics.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies ]

To: halfdome
What is the problem with the Sierra Club's conservation policies you posted? They say the forest benefits from recurring wildfires, and dangerous fuel accumulations should be reduced, and both human caused and naturally occuring fires should be allowed to burn unless they become threatening. I'm not sure what the problem is.

I believe the Sierra Club makes a distinction between where these fires take place and fuel accumulation risks should be remidiated. From their web-site:

Fire is a natural part of the forest and has a role to play in any forest's lifecycle by clearing out brush and restoring nutrients to the soil. But years of overly aggressive fire suppression have left many of our National Forests cluttered with small, highly flammable brush. Overly aggressive fire suppression and extensive logging have created unnatural conditions that lead to huge, hard-to-control fires."

In doing some research on the 'Net (as I am no expert), there seems to be some disagreement on all the conditions that contribute to hard-to-control fires. Both the Sierra Club and the Forest Service mention aggressive fire supression. The Sierra Club mentions logging as an additional cause. The Forest Service also mentions "a lack of active forest and rangeland management". The Forest Service also mentions tree densities per acre that has increased in many forests.

The Sierra Club continues:

"The Sierra Club strongly supports prescribed burns as a way to restore fire's natural role to the forest. Sierra Club supports fuel reduction projects near homes and communities. For a decade the Sierra Club has been urging the Forest Service to do more prescribed burning, reduce flammable brush near communities and we've been asking Congress to devote more money to do the job right. The Forest Service should stop pushing for commercial logging and put more resources towards protecting lives and communities."

So, the Sierra Club supports controlled burns near homes and communities (what they call "Protect Communities First"). That leaves forested areas that don't meet that criteria in somewhat of an unmanaged state, concerning remidiation of areas with high fuel loads. I'm not sure when forested areas not near communities get protected. In fact, I am still looking on the Sierra Club to see where they outline a plan to reduce fire risks in areas that are not near local communities. I have yet to find it, so any help would be appreciated.

The Sierra Club does mention roadless rules. These appear to be very popular.

In doing some additional reading, it seems that scientific research is used as the basis to litigate many decisions made by the Forest Service in regards to fuel load reduction, logging of forests, etc. It's sometimes hard to argue when someone has scientific facts and data in a matter.

57 posted on 10/29/2003 5:11:43 AM PST by Fury
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson