Forest management

To the Editor:

The federal funding for a forest management project to curtail wildfires in our county should be used to reduce fire hazards in our most populated areas. I understand that the bulk of these funds are going to be used in the high country for thinning our forests.

I disagree with this idea. Tuolumne County residents have had their fire insurance canceled and are now paying higher prices for insurance. The insurance companies blanket the 95370 ZIP code area with the label of “fire hazard area.” We are required to have setbacks as a fire break around our homes at our expense. County roads are loaded with dense brush which is highly flammable and prone to accidental ignition from passing motor vehicles. These funds should be used to cut a 15-foot fire break on each side of our county roads. Forest thinning in the high country should be left to the commercial harvesters.

We need relief from fire insurance premiums and protection of our homes. Our elected officials are not in tune with the needs of our community.

Ed Anderson

Sonora