Stop Thinning Forests is a community compilation, sponsored by Deep Green Resistance, of research and voices that speak in defense of our forests against the atrocities that are being committed on those communities in the name of “fire mitigation” and “forest health.”
The Forest Service, in partnership with the timber industry, uses propaganda to promote the idea that thinning helps lessen fire severity while improving forest health. The research on the benefits of forest thinning is financially backed by the timber industry, and congressional passing of bills that promote thinning are backed by the lobbying efforts of the industry. The main goal for thinning forests is to increase revenue by allowing the timber industry to get into forests that were previously protected by environmental laws. Recent legislation has allowed the industry to bypass those laws and profit from forest products in the name of “forest health and restoration.” The Forest Service has consistently worked with the timber industry as a result of financial incentives and has been responsible for creating the infrastructure through use of federal tax dollars in the form of subsidies that enable the industry to “get the cut out.”
Individual land owners have recently been encouraged by the Forest Service to thin their lands with available grant monies under the guise of protecting their homes from fire and to improve the health of the forests. The available grant money filters down to the Forest Service from federal legislation that allows industry to get into our treasured, and last remaining, intact forests. Thinning private lands is offered as another incentive that generates money for the Forest Service while creating the appearance that the Forest Service is promoting a policy of “fire mitigation” and “forest restoration,” extending to the wildland/urban interface. Private land owners have the power to become informed and make rational decisions to protect their homes from fire that will not devastate the forest community. It is essential that individuals making these decisions become informed about federal forest policies and the history of the Forest Service before making decisions that will disrupt and harm the forest communities where we live.
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Application of traditional silvicultural practices under climate change drought conditions is nothing less than mass extinction. Trees are already struggling to survive then they are “thinned” for “fire safety” under drought conditions=dries them out, surrounding trees stressed, die, not to mention the science that the trees are connected underground, critical connections, and the practices severs this connection as well. Year round under story snow storage is also obliterated. These practices are in fact creating the perfect conditions for more fire leading to more justification for MORE thinning, rinse and repeat. Public thinks its for their “safety”. In other words, it’s a lie. For the sake of an industry ($$$$$$$$). Where have we seen this before?
Your exposition and information above is essential and needs to be widely disseminated to the public. As does the research and conclusions of Chad Hanson, Ph.D., in his paradigm-shifting book, “Smokescreen.” (I’m not associated with Hanson, just a fan of his research and message, which is the same as yours – stop cutting into (“thinning”) forests. My webpage for this, uh, hot topic: http://www.TreeSpiritProejct.com/wildfire
If someone at “Stop Thinning Forests” would like to collaborate, please contact me (in CA’s SF Bay Area), please contact me via my website. Here’s one of my current initiatives to prevent a similar de-forestation assault on a wild, healthy forest posing as a “forest health initiative” : http://www.TreeSpiritProject.com/CalFire