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As wildfires in California become larger and hotter due to climate change, the U.S. Forest Service is making plans to aggressively thin forests in order to protect giant sequoia trees. The trees are the world's tallest organism and are found nowhere but California. One-fifth of all giant sequoias have been destroyed over the past two years, according to the Forest Service.
The agency's "emergency fuel reduction" plan will bypass regular environmental review and involve the removal of small trees and underbrush through hand cutting, mechanical removal, and prescribed burning on approximately 13,377 acres. The plan will cost about $15 million, which will come from the recently enacted infrastructure law.
“Without urgent action, wildfires could eliminate countless more iconic giant sequoias,” Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said.
But some environmental groups oppose the plan. Ara Marderosian, executive director of the Sequoia ForestKeeper group, called the announcement a "well-orchestrated PR campaign" for the logging industry and said the plan could end up making wildfires worse.
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A successful co-management model is all about transparency, and having a consensus in sharing of ideas and ways of knowing. We are taught to take care of the land. It’s more of an act of love, not an act of a job.”
