Hazard Warning For NW Forests
Let nature take it’s course, that’s been said about wild fires, beached whales, pregnant cattle, pigmy rabbits and yes many times our Western Forests and rangelands, I’m Susan Allen when Open Range returns if nature is allowed to “take it’s course” in our tall timbers experts predict our forests could face possibly near total devastation. stay tuned. A battle is raging among the majestic mountain pines and spruces and tiny beetle’s, worms and diseases are winning taking down trees at a rate three times greater than in the 1980’s. If allowed to continue forest experts say our pine forests will become but a tinder keg of dead and dying trees impacting not only wildlife and recreation habitat but our critical Northwest river systems. In Washington State alone 1.9 million acres of timber is already deemed severely damaged or destroyed and I’ve seen much of this first hand horse back in the mountains near my home in the Leavenworth area hit especially hard by wildfire. State Foresters and Forest Service biologist are currently debating their options which basically boil down to thinning and clearing trees yet with so many species there isn’t a one size fit all solution then there’s the fact some environment groups oppose any action. In Washington State Peter Goldmark the state’s lands commissions issued a Hazard Warning earlier this month in regards to the state’s forests and is organizing a panel of experts this December to study all available options to reinvigorate stands of trees with hope solutions that will be utilized by the department of National Resources for other states with disease and bug riddle stands of timber.
