Reading the Independent article about the tree-thinning project on Pine Mountain made me think about another logging proposal I’m extremely concerned about known as the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project. In this proposal, the U.S. Forest Service is planning to log and extract biomass from 235,000 acres of forest throughout Los Padres from Monterey to Ojai.
As an environmental studies major at UC Santa Barbara, I’m constantly learning about new threats to our environment. Although these threats make me feel concerned and upset, they always feel somewhat abstract and out of my reach. However, the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project has really grabbed my attention because it’s threatening an area I’ve begun to call home. Its plans will impact the trails I hike in on the weekends, the homes of the birds I see flying above, and the integrity of the mountains that protect us from mudslides, collect our water, and cleanse our air.
To ensure that these areas are protected for future generations, I am calling on the U.S. Forest Service to increase the regulations on this project. If this project is truly about minimizing wildfire risk without causing ecological harm, it is necessary that mature and old growth trees remain undisturbed and commercial logging companies are excluded from involvement. Additionally, the Forest Service should focus their efforts on forested areas near urban regions where wildfire risk is much higher than backcountry lands.
