Due to a variety of factors, wildfires are costing taxpayers more money, including loss of structures and lives. Yet our Congress repeatedly cuts the Forest Service budget, more and more of which goes to fighting fires that could be prevented with proper forest management.
Rep. Scott Tipton was a co-sponsor of the “Resilient National Forests Act,” which passed the House in November. Despite the title, this bill is not about forest health. It’s about drastically increasing the area that can be logged without environmental review — tenfold, to 30,000 acres.
That is almost 47 square miles, or nearly 3 percent of the entire area of La Plata County. That area could be clear-cut, covered with roads, old growth forest and habitat for wildlife could be destroyed and the water we drink could be fouled, all while doing nothing to really deal with fire issues.
Millions of board-feet of timber go unsold each year while the Forest Service loses money on preparing for sales. There is no shortage of lumber for industry. This bad bill will scar our national forest landscapes and remove your ability to have a say in the process.
Remember that your representative, Scott Tipton, voted to pass this bill. Read more at http://bit.ly/2HJowQl.
Donna Howard
Durango
