In the article “The Fire Next Time” (June 2021), I wish to point out that despite numerous large wildfires, global warming and the ongoing destruction of global rainforests, the Forest Service continues to promote the cutting down of live trees. These trees are harvested for the large egos that run the bureaucracy, so that they can maintain their authority.
To sound effective, the Forest Service proclaims that trees need to be thinned in case a wildfire happens by one summer. They explain that thinning is necessary in order to prevent or control wildfires. In reality, thinning is a polite word for the term logging, and it’s used to encourage people to believe it is not so bad.
It needs to halt immediately. We definitely cannot continue forest thinning to sustain the bureaucracy at the expense of the environment. The Forest Service needs to wake up and plant young trees to encourage new growth, not deplete the remaining timber.
Harry Strong
Cottonwood, Arizona
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The Fire Next Time.
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