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The biggest problem with our forests? The U.S. Forest Service
The Forest Service and Forestry School researchers (funded by the Forest Service) continue to promote the idea that our forests are “unhealthy.” It is an example of the “Father Knows Best” philosophy that the agency and its researchers understand how to mend the forest. Of course, it also assumes that the forest needs repairing. The […]
Is it time to expand Yellowstone National Park?
Wildlands advocates should work to expand Yellowstone National Park and preserve the entire Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem under National Park Management. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the largest intact temperate ecosystem in the world. But it is suffering the cumulative impacts of a thousand cuts. Something needs to change, or we may lose our last chance […]
Where is the outrage at the indiscriminate slaughtering of bison?
This winter, tribal members killed more than a thousand bison on public lands after they migrated out of Yellowstone Park, seeking snow-free grazing areas. But most conservation groups remain silent in the face of this butchery. This slaughter has numerous ecological and evolutionary impacts on wild bison. The tribal kill selects against those bison who […]
Bitterroot forest project proposes saving the land by ‘chainsaw medicine’
Montana’s Bitterroot National Forest proposes the Bitterroot Front Project, which would encompass 144,000 acres. The Bitterroot Front Project, the agency says, will promote “forest restoration” and reduce tree mortality from disease, insects, and fires. The way to accomplish these goals is through chainsaw medicine. The agency implies fewer trees are killed by wildfire or insects in […]
Thinning forests isn’t the issue, drought and wind speed are more critical to wildfires
One frequently hears from proponents of thinning that active forest management can reduce fire intensity and thus is a beneficial policy to reduce large blazes. However, most of the scientific support for thinning is based on modeling of fuel loading, not real-life experiences. For instance, a recent letter to the editor in the Missoulian made […]