Letter: Tahoe needs Firewise, NOT robots and logging lies

On May 2nd, an article was published in South Tahoe Now, “Technology being used as a partner in forest fuels treatment at Lake Tahoe,” describing the new “BurnBot” and its brush clearing capabilities. The article opens with a statement from Amy Berry of the Tahoe Fund, claiming that “we are going to lose the whole forest” if they aren’t “thinned”. However, the vast majority of independent scientists agree that “thinning” is incredibly harmful to forest health and carbon-storing capabilities, and that it does nothing to protect life and property during wind and climate driven fire events. We saw clearly in both Lahaina and Texas that NO amount of logging can prevent wind-driven embers from destroying our homes.

Despite claims by the Forest Service and others, there is no scientific basis for saying our forests are “overgrown,” or that “25 trees per acre” is “normal”. We could not find any study that supports this theory with solid facts, and field notes from the USFS predecessor agency taken in the early 1800s before clearcutting occurred actually show a much HIGHER tree density than current conditions.

Even high-intensity fire is a natural part of these forest ecosystems. They are not being “decimated” or “turned to ash”, and are in fact quite capable of naturally regenerating; so long as this process isn’t being immediately disrupted by “salvage” logging that is. Just last week, I found numerous pine seedlings within an unlogged Caldor Fire high-intensity burn patch, as well as multiple pairs of nesting black-backed and hairy woodpeckers. After fire, native bark beetles are naturally drawn to these intense burns, sparing healthy trees from infestation and attracting scores of woodpeckers. These birds in turn create numerous nesting cavities in dead trees which provide homes for other birds, bats, and rodents. These smaller prey then attract raptors and other predator species. Ash from wildfire is incredibly nutrient-rich, creating the perfect conditions for an explosion of new life.

In contrast, “thinning” increases temperatures, decreases the ability for forests to retain moisture, and in many studies has been proven to make fire conditions worse. Underbrush is not “ladder fuel”, it is habitat, homes, moisture retention, food, and soil nutrients. Anyone who has stepped within an actual old-growth forest knows clearly the much cooler, damper, more hospitable places they are.

Instead of continuing the logging lies, now robots, and other nonsense, we need the Tahoe Fund, the Forest Service and our government agencies to concentrate ALL funds and efforts on building truly Firewise, climate-hardened communities. Metal roofing, home-out defensible space, evacuation routes, well-funded local fire departments- these are the actions we need to be taking now for our future. All of these agencies and our insurance companies actually agree that the most important thing we can do in the face of a rapidly changing climate and chaotic insurance market is to harden our infrastructure. This cannot be accomplished if we continue to prioritize lumber over life by subsidizing the destruction of sensitive ecosystems. It is time to stop the chop and demand community-wide Firewise programs because our trees are worth more standing.

Melissa Soderston
Director, Tahoe Forests Matter