Selected Scenes

As an ecologist and co-founder of GreenPeace, I have studied forestry issues from an environmentalist’s perspective. During the 1980s, my thinking evolved from confrontation to developing consensus on solutions to environmental issues. One such issue that I’d like to introduce to you is the need to restore the landscape after catastrophic fires, for the benefit of our environment and our communities.

Not all fires can be classified as catastrophic or devastating. In fact, fire can be an important and useful component of a healthy forest environment. Crown fires, however, destroy everything in their path and leave in their wake a landscape of dead trees and sterile soil. These devastating fires are not normal. Decades of fire suppression management has allowed the underbrush to accumulate, creating conditions of excessive fuel in the forest.

Over the last 10 years, the combined acreage that has burned in the western United States is equal to the area of Delaware, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont combined.

Why is it we have so many catastrophic fires… particularly in the west? The answer centers around the elements of climate and geography. The combination of these forces has created a phenomenon which has become known as “lightning alley.”

[This] was a beautiful forest of firs, pines and cedars before a fire burned 16,000 acres in 1996 – about two thirds of it in a Wilderness Reserve. Because there was no clear policy directing the government to promptly recover the dead trees and restore the landscape, none of the dead trees were removed and none of the ground underneath these dead trees was replanted. As the insects and rot attack the wood, the trees are falling over, accumulating on the ground to provide tinder for the next fire which will be far more intense and damaging to the soil.

In 1980, 150,000 acres of forest were destroyed when Mt. St. Helens erupted in Washington State. The Federal government decided to allow the landscape to recover on its own. This decision delayed restoration of the land to its pre-fire condition for 200 years or more. The private land owner removed the dead trees from their land and promptly replanted seedlings. Today, these seedlings are over 30 feet tall.

In the 30’s and 40’s, the Tillamook Fires burned over 400,000 acres . After the fire, the affected cities, counties and communities joined with the State of Oregon to undertake what became the largest and most successful rehabilitation of a burned landscape anywhere in the country. The State sold millions of dollars worth of bonds to facilitate this huge undertaking. The bonds were secured by the counties’ agreement to dedicate a percentage of their revenue from the salvaged timber for repayment. No federal tax dollars were ever used and most of the rehabilitation work was financed by the sale of dead, but still valuable timber.

Today, just 65 years after the fire, the Tillamook forest represents one of the most extensive networks of diverse habitat for deer, elk, birds, fish and plant life anywhere in the United States. The Tillamook State Forest consists of 364,000 acres and now provides a broad array of recreational opportunities with its extensive trail system, viewpoints and eight State Park campgrounds. In terms of recreation, it is invaluable. Because the restoration effort used sound management principles, the new forest is expected to return over two billion dollars in revenue from its original planting.

The dead and downed timber that currently lies on the forest floor from our most recent fires represents a wasting opportunity. This revenue could have a tremendously positive impact on our local governments and schools. If we don’t utilize this dead material, there will be increased pressure to harvest green, living trees. Why not take advantage of these dead trees instead? In order to achieve this, Federal rules must be changed. By the time recovery plans are approved, most of the timber value has been lost. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act does not address the rehabilitation of our federal lands after a devastating fire occurs.

There are two very distinct choices when it comes to managing burned forests after large, devastating fires. One choice is to do nothing. It creates no economic benefits and delays - sometimes for generations - the recovery of the affected landscape. Complacency leaves an austere and desolate landscape of perpetuating brush fields, increasing fire hazards and lost opportunities for our future generations.

The other choice creates jobs, produces commodities and generates a tremendous amount of community involvement. In addition, it expedites the process of environmental healing and saves decades of time in the return to a healthy, growing forest. Taking action today will leave a legacy for future generations – a landscape of abundant forests that give back recreation, healthy wildlife habitats and opportunities for growing families in our communities.