Fiends of the Earth

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Here’s a typical story that could have been written in any year, in any state, although this one comes from 2019 in Colorado. For what it’s worth, the first Trump administration let this pass; the smarter, wiser version this time probably wouldn’t.

Forest Service rescinds chain saw use in Colorado wilderness

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service has canceled a decision to use chain saws to clear trees killed by bark beetles in two wilderness areas in southwestern Colorado.

The Durango Herald reports Rocky Mountain Regional Forester Brian Ferebee announced the decision in a letter to forest supervisors Monday, citing reports of avalanches blocking trails in the Weminuche and South San Juan wilderness areas.

The agency in May authorized the motorized equipment, prompting a lawsuit by conservation groups that claimed chain saws in wilderness areas would violate law.

San Juan Citizens Alliance Executive Director Mark Pearson says they will dismiss the lawsuit following the announcement.

For decades now, this pattern has repeated itself: timber companies are blocked from salvaging dead trees killed by bark beetle infestations, hurricanes, whathaveyou, so the trees lie on the ground, wasted, until a wildfire springs up, consumes the dead trees, and then moves on to the still healthy areas of the forest and burns up an area 100X larger than the original site. This is declared a triumph by the tree huggers; go figure.