The following is a letter to the editor, published here as opinion. The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the writer. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor feel free to write to [email protected].
Editor:
Numerous proposals for Timber Harvest Plans from CalFire have come through in the past few years.
Last August and continuing into September, fires ravaged California. 33 people died, and a total of 4,257,863 acres burned [Editor’s note: These stats agree with Cal Fire’s official count]. The reader may think logging will reduce fire hazard, not help it, and that’s true — if it’s done right. I am not convinced that these Timber Harvest Plans will.
Studies show that fires can burn more intensely in areas that have been logged. This is a result of leftovers from logging, such as branches and treetops, which form a bed on the ground — perfect fuel.
When you cut down a tree, that tree will no longer be able to take CO2 out of the air, which immediately has a negative impact on climate change.
What we do to mitigate climate change in the next 8-10 years will effect the quality of life for the next 100–200 years. Allowing mass logging operations to continue will harm both the local ecosystems and biological communities as well as the atmosphere.
Shout out on social media. Send messages to your representatives, and direct public comments about the logging operations to: [email protected]. If you want more information, visit mendocinotrailstewards.org.
The comment period is ending any day on certain THPs, and has already ended on some, but you can still protest the others. Together, we can stop this.
Sincerely,
Ravel Gauthier
The preceding article was an opinion column, or letter to the editor, and the opinions expressed therein are the author’s, not those of The Mendocino Voice. It was not necessarily edited for punctuation, capitalization, spelling etc. While, we reserve the right to copyedit and fact-check opinion pieces, and letters to the editor — and to annotate such pieces with fact-checking — we do not habitually do so.
Tell me about the perfect fuel, after the smaller parts of the tree start to decompose, they loose there heat value. where a live tree has all the stuff for good combustion. explain how rotten wood has more heat value than healthy wood.
DO you burn rotten wood in your wood stove?
Was trump rite? Just a reality ck.