In this story the age-old battle between those who see forest management as good for the forest and those who see any form of management as bad for the forest, continues, and we are left to wonder who is right in this argument.
One clue is in the reality their respective comments reveal and the reality the pictures accompanying the story reveal.
The environmentalist says: "The Sequoia National Forest is an island of trees surrounded by desert, every tree that is removed is opening the forest to become part of the desert."
The logger says: "You know what? I've logged this area three times and I think it looks better every time I come back."
The picture with the story agrees with the latter.
Here is an excerpt.
Fight over a forest's future
Loggers, activists duel over thinning trees in sequoia preserve.
By Tom Knudson -- Bee Staff Writer Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, June 18, 2006
GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT -- Ahhh, springtime in the Sierra -- a time of snowmelt creeks, pine-scented breezes and here, in a forest of jaw-dropping, super-sized trees, the rumble of fully loaded logging trucks.
One day last week, as loggers stacked trees in a dusty clearing on one of the last commercial timber sales slated to occur in this 6-year-old monument, Ara Marderosian stood to the side and watched in dismay.
"I hate it," said Marderosian, director of an environmental group called Sequoia ForestKeeper. "They are turning this place into a desert."
From his perch in a big yellow loader that thundered across the clearing, timber company owner Harold Kiper cast a glance at Marderosian, but kept on working. Thinning out dense, fire-prone stands, Kiper said, is good for the land.
"It's a benefit to the forest," said Kiper. "It really is. I'll never be convinced any other way."
Ever since the days of John Muir, logging has touched off conflict in the Sierra. And although there is less timbering today -- the result of layers of environmental restrictions -- loggers still work the woods, increasingly in the name of forest health.
