A great letter from a professional public servant (retired) about forest logging and reseeding after a fire rather than no logging and allowing naturally occurring seeding.
We must replant trees after fires
I was district ranger of the Almanor Ranger District for six years before the Storrie Fire, which I am personally familiar with. I disagree with Chad Hanson in his Another View article, "Replanting forests after wildfires unnecessary," Forum, Nov. 5. The trees on the National Forest land were planted, not "natural" as indicated by Hanson.
Realizing that the opportunity had passed for logging and preparation of the planting site, the Forest Service went ahead and planted such openings as were available. Nursery-raised trees are charged with nutrients before planting and thus begin growth at a far faster rate than those coming from natural seeding.
One of the main reasons for salvage logging the fire-killed trees is to eliminate most of the heavy fuels, which, added to the brush fields that inevitably follow fire-cleared forests, form the ingredients for a second, even more damaging conflagration. These reburns are more damaging to the soils and watershed than the original fire because the heavy fuels of fallen fire-killed trees concentrate the hottest and longest lasting fires onto the soil surface. Loss of soil fertility and water absorbability results in long-term ecological damage and soil erosion. Prompt action can result in forest restoration and ecological repair benefitting plants, animals and humans alike.
- Keith Crummer, Chester
Registered Professional Forester
and U.S. Forest Service Retiree
