Opinion: Thinning project looks more like logging operation
Publisher’s note: This letter was read to the California Tahoe Conservancy board on July 15 by the writer. Lake Tahoe News asked for a copy from the writer, which arrived this week and is printed below.
Dear Tahoe Conservancy,
My name is Amber. I was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe and am currently a full-time resident. I am writing because I am very, very concerned about the integrity and professionalism of the Meyers fire protection district.
I have been witnessing it firsthand in the Apache neighborhood. I see harvesting of very big healthy trees going on. Little spindly unhealthy trees are being left, along with big road-like cuts causing erosion through places our wildlife once found refuge. Now it is covered with huge piles of slash, which is more of a fire danger. Some of the trees are left with unhealthy scars and breakage.
My understanding of fire thinning is the cutting of small, dead, or diseased trees, removing the dead underbranches, and the removal of dried underbrush, pine needles and pinecones. This is not what is going on. Honestly, I smell greed as I see logging trucks pulling out with big healthy trees. I am very worried corruption is tainting the need and importance of the Conservancy and Forest Service.
Regulation and respect have gone out the window. I have heard sawing for long periods of time with huge crashes indicating large trees, followed by hooting and hollering by the men. This is very offensive and very, very unprofessional. This morning [July 15] in my neighbor’s yard – who is currently out of town – there is a huge long stump left along with a big mess. This tree was on private property and of no apparent fie danger. This butchering and unskilled cutting can lead to more diseased trees in the future when insects begin to make these unsightly stumps their home, creating an even bigger fire danger.
I have spoken with many of the neighbors and they, too, are very concerned. We feel helpless and this is why we are turning to you for help. There are not very many old trees left in the Tahoe basin. We lost so many during the fire … it is a deep shame to now cut so many more in the disguise of fire fear when it’s obvious someone is benefitting from the lumber.
Tahoe is a place where residents and tourists from all over the world come to enjoy the serenity and purity of our forests and lakes. Please do something to help protect our old trees before it’s too late. Thinning is not harvesting big trees for profit. Please send out trained foresters to assess and regulate the situation, ones who are respectful of the health of the forest, wildlife, and residents. Not these untrained disrespectful loggers. There is terrible harm being done to our forest. We again are turning to you for help as people of Tahoe, along with the trees, and wildlife who can’t speak out or protect themselves.
Thank you for you time and attention.
Sincerely,
Amber LaPointe, Meyers
I also live in the Apache neighborhood. I agree that the current big mechanized treatment is brutal to witness, but aside from the concern about raw road cuts I respectfully disagree with the writer.
It seems to me that our extremely overgrown forests require that larger trees are also removed. The forest that we have become accustomed to is not healthy, fire safe, or natural.
I think these large thinning projects are very hard to do without looking terrible for a while. Yet even in the immediate aftermath of the cutting the ugliness is still better for the remaining forest, the lake, and the neighbors than what remains after an intense fire.
I respectfully disagree with the letter writer. The on-going forest thinning efforts in the Lake Valley Fire Protection District have been well planned by experienced and licensed foresters and approved by the appropriate agencies.
To achieve proper forest health, some large diameter trees need to be removed. This is to achieve proper spacing so that a crown fire (tree-to-tree fire) won’t occur. A crown fire will kill ALL the trees in the area while properly spaced trees will survive a wildfire. Areas that were treated adjacent to the Angora Fire demonstrate this fact.
In the long run, the forest will be healthier and the habitat will be more suitable for species that live in our area. The forest will also be more resilient to fire and insect infestation. While this looks like a mess now, the forest will recover to its natural state within a year.
As far as the “greed” comment is concerned, the writer neglects the fact that there is absolutely no market right now for large diameter timber due to the downturn in the economy and complete lack of new construction. Most logs are being chipped and sold for pennies to biomass electric generation facilities.
I hope the forest thinning and restoration projects continue throughout the Basin, for the sake of people, property, and the forest itself.