Against logging? Then stop using wood

I would disagree with Mr. McMurtry’s recent letter saying that implementing “Environmentalists practices” would reduce the severity of wildfires. Where do these old growth forest canopies exist? They existed over 100 years ago, but times have changed.

If we want to go back to forests of “old growth,” we would need to do a couple things: Eliminate about 320 million people in the U.S. and stop using wood products. Mr. McMurtry certainly takes a shot at the US Forest Service and the logging industry. I would challenge anyone who is opposed to harvesting trees to throw out any wood products in their home. They would end up living in a tent.

The absence of logging from our National Forests was primarily a result of the protection of the Spotted Owl. We’ve lost thousands of jobs, schools closed, and towns devastated. Was it worth it? Now we find out that Spotted Owl lands are being taken over by Barred Owls — a natural selection process. The US Fish & Wildlife Service is killing the Barred Owls — talk about manipulating natural selection.

There are plenty of studies showing that the thinning of forests helps reduce the spread of wildfire and helps prevent the climb into a “crown fire.” Logging roads, in past years, have provided a means of rapid response to wildfire crews.

We can talk about Nirvana, but we need to deal with our current wildfire problems by recognizing our current mess and plan accordingly.