ACTION ALERT!!! A Major Opportunity to End
Never-Ending Forest Fires!
Dear COLAB Members,
I have some great news! The forest service has apparently realized that a hands-off approach to forest management is serving no one’s interests, be it trees, brush, the watershed, wildlife, or the urban-rural interface (read that people!). Allow me to elaborate.
By eliminating thinning, logging, control burns and the like, we allowed our wildlands to create a density of trees that are up to 10x more than what is optimal for a healthy forest ecosystem. That is, when there are too many trees and too much underbrush in a forest, the trees find it very difficult to compete for sunshine, nutrients, and water. The trees then become weakened and susceptible to pests and diseases. They end up dying and becoming fuel for ravaging forest fires. The same holds true for overgrown underbrush. Moreover, the overgrown underbrush eliminates foraging habitat for various species that feed on the natural grasslands that should thrive throughout the range.
This hands-off policy has been nothing less than a disaster. Millions of acres have burned in California resulting in scores of deaths not to mention entire communities have been lost in the process. Moreover, the deadly Montecito debris flow which claimed over 20 lives and destroyed so many properties is part of a deadly cycle of fires and floods, as denuded landscapes create the perfect conditions for floods and debris flows.
Another concern from these out-of-control wildfires has to do with air quality impacts which exacerbate breathing difficulties in vulnerable populations. And, in an age where so many people are concerned about greenhouse gas emissions, these wildfires have completely eclipsed any ghg reductions. That is, the releases from these fires obliterated any reductions made by way of regulatory fiat and command and control measures.
Below you will find the notice from the forest service about an environmental review process for the proposed actions. It would be very helpful if you would send in a constructive and supportive comment to the Service because I can guarantee you that certain environmental knuckle draggers in our community, namely the Los Padres Forest Watch among others, will oppose this common sense measure. That is, these extremists would rather continue to risk the loss of lives and properties via out-of-control wildfires than the use of prescribed-burn measures.
Here is the Notice:
“The Los Padres National Forest (LPNF) is conducting an environmental analysis of the Ecological Restoration Project, which is being proposed on four of the five Ranger Districts of the LPNF. The purpose of this project is to restore fire-adapted ecosystems, reduce fuels, and reintroduce fire on the landscape by prescribed burning on approximately 235,495 acres of land administered by the LPNF, within Kern, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. The project, as proposed, would enhance protection for wildland urban interface (WUI) communities and infrastructure, and improve fire and drought resilience of forested landscapes. This letter is being sent to potentially interested and affected members of the public to solicit comments regarding potential environmental issues to inform the content of the Environmental Assessment (EA) being prepared to evaluate this proposal. Comments received will be used to further refine the proposed action and to identify potential issues to be addressed through the environmental analysis process.”
“This solicitation for public comment helps serve the purpose of “scoping” under the Council of Environmental Quality’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. It is our intention to analyze the proposed action with an EA. Pursuant to 36 CFR 218.7(a)(2), this proposed project implements the Los Padres National Forest Land Management Plan and is subject to the predecisional objection process in §218 subparts A and B.”
How to Comment:
Written comments may also be directed to Los Padres National Forest Supervisor's Office, Attention: Kyle Kinports, Forest Planner and Vegetation/Fuels Program Manager, 1980 Old Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463. Please state the project name, "LPNF Ecological Restoration Project" on the envelope and your letter when providing comments by mail, or in the subject line if sending by email.
Thank you,
Andy Caldwell
