Groups stand up to speak for forest

Earlier this month, the Santa Fe County Commission, WildEarth Guardians and The Forest Advocate sponsored a well-attended listening meeting, Living With Wildfire, focused on caring for and protecting the Santa Fe National Forest and our communities, especially in relation to the Santa Fe Mountains Landscape Resiliency Project.

U.S. Forest Service leadership was present to listen, along with liaisons from all New Mexico federal representatives’ offices, some state representatives’ offices, and County Commissioners Anna Hansen and Anna Hamilton. Commissioner Hansen hosted the meeting.

Last summer, the Santa Fe County Commission passed a cutting-edge resolution urging the Forest Service to complete an environmental impact statement for the project and to work toward finding innovative solutions for conserving our forest, while mitigating fire risk, that genuinely account for climate change and protect public health.

Respected conservation scientist Dominick DellaSala gave an excellent slide presentation on the role of fire in our forest, collateral damages that have been caused in the Santa Fe National Forest by past thinning and too-frequent prescribed burning treatments, and the potential damage the proposed project may cause. He made a series of recommendations to improve the effects of the project on our forest and suggested the Forest Service should seriously consider the public health impacts of prescribed burn smoke. He explained the reasons why an environmental impact statement is essential.

WildEarth Guardians’ Adam Rissien gave a short presentation focused on the lack of specificity and detail of the project proposal, and the need for a range of alternatives to be considered that truly restore forest processes. He recommended creating wetter and cooler areas, restoring compacted and dried-out soils, and reducing unneeded forest roads. I spoke for The Forest Advocate about the need to consider the potential for escaped prescribed burns, and that parameters for prescribed burns specific to the Santa Fe Mountains landscape should be considered within the project analysis.

Next, the public spoke, including representatives from other conservation organizations and a physician who is an environmental consultant. It was a sincere, informed and nuanced discussion grappling with the complex issues of caring for our forest in a warming climate and with a populated wildland/urban interface. The commenters did not reject thinning and burning treatments in our forest, but most wanted them to be much more limited, strategic and light-handed, and to be implemented in ways that support forest health and do not create significant collateral damage and public health impacts.

The overall themes were that conservation organizations and the public believe they are not being heard by the Forest Service, and they are urging the Forest Service to complete an impact statement for this complex and largescale project.

Our deputy forest supervisor announced at the meeting that the same Santa Fe Mountains Project Final Environmental Assessment and Project Decision, withdrawn due to the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, will be reinitiated by the end of the year. This means the Forest Service currently does not intend to complete an impact statement.

If you want to understand the issues related to the proposed project, please watch the video of the listening meeting. It’s interesting from beginning to end. It’s at vimeo.com/770854264. Then please weigh in with our elected representatives and request they follow the example of the County Commission and urge the Forest Service to complete an environmental impact statement project. And communicate this to the Forest Service as well.

Sarah Hyden is the co-creator of The Forest Advocate, theforestadvocate.org.