Monthly Archives: May 2026

Karl Brauneis: The Northwest Forest Plan and the Roadless Rule

Karl Brauneis is a retired U.S. Forest Service forester, former smokejumper, and longtime student of federal forest policy and history. Over a decades long career in the woods, Karl witnessed firsthand how active forest management, rapid fire response, and sustained yield forestry once shaped healthier and more resilient forests across the West. In the following…

California Speeds Up Forest Management as Wildfire Damage Mounts

Wildfire-driven deforestation rates in California are now among the highest in the world, according to new research highlighted by Phys.org.  California’s wildfire crisis has become so severe that Governor Gavin Newsom waived portions of the California Environmental Quality Act, commonly known as CEQA, in 2025 to accelerate vegetation management projects, mirroring efforts pursued by the…

Severe Wildfire Is Driving Visitors Away From Public Lands

Some anti-forestry groups claim active forest management comes at the expense of outdoor recreation on public lands. Stop logging, they argue, and rural communities will transition toward more prosperous tourism-based economies. New research recently highlighted in The Conversation disputes those claims. Researchers found that severe wildfires are driving major declines in outdoor recreation across the…