Smoke may smell good, but it’s not good for you While not everyone has the same sensitivity to wildfire smoke, it’s still a good idea to avoid breathing smoke if you can help it. And when smoke is heavy, such as can occur in close proximity to a wildfire, it’s bad for everyone. Smoke is…
DetailsA recent study by Climate Central found wildfires in the Western United States are undermining progress in reducing air pollution from tailpipes and industrial sources. In analyzing air quality in two large California air basins, the independent research organization found the level of harmful particulate matter in the air consistently exceeded federal standards during the peak…
DetailsWayne Thacker is Chair of the Virginia Wildlife Habitat Coalition. The following letter originally appeared in the Central Virginian: In response to “Working with nature’s renewable resource in Louisa County”, in the Oct. 12 edition of the Central Virginian,, and a related letter to the editor on Oct. 26, sure, clear cuts are ugly the…
DetailsThe U.S. House of Representatives passed the Resilient Federal Forests Act on Nov. 1. In the run up the vote, there were many misleading statements about what the bill does, and doesn’t do. Thanks to the House Natural Resources Committee, here are myths and facts about this bill that improves the management of our federally-owned…
DetailsNote: This article first appeared on the Hoover Institution web site This past summer, wildfires scorched nearly eight million acres across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Most of the fires, which cost taxpayers $2 billion to fight, were on national forest land. Increased fuel loads over the last century—resulting from trees that are diseased, insect…
DetailsThe U.S. Forest Service spent six and a half years and wrote 2,600 pages of environmental analysis for a forest project that reduced fire risks on 5,000 acres. What happened next has become too common in our broken system of federal forest management.
The Pulp & Paperworkers’ Resource Council has tracked Paper & Wood Products Facility Closures for 26 years, and they recently released their updated map of mill closures. Each dot and arrow on the map represents the loss of good-paying family-wage jobs; loss of markets for logs from private lands; and less infrastructure to support active…
DetailsThis month we had an opportunity to tour the “A to Z” project, a major forest restoration effort that is transforming an overgrown, fire-prone national forest into a healthier and more resilient landscape that benefits wildlife habitat, public access, recreation and logging and mill jobs in nearby Colville, WA. It’s a product of forest collaboration among…
DetailsProtecting America’s federally-owned forests from the risks of catastrophic wildfire, insects and disease is a bipartisan issue. Democrats and Republicans agree it’s time to take action. Will you join the effort? Megafires on our national forests are threatening homes, property and public health. Unhealthy forests are contributing to higher fire suppression costs, draining the U.S.…
DetailsSixty-five groups representing forestry, agriculture, wildlife conservation and local government sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging swift action on federal forest management and wildfire suppression funding reforms. The letter can be downloaded here. The groups expressed support for solutions to improve the health of federally-owned forest lands, while ending the practice of “fire borrowing”…
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