This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE   10-26-05

                Whatever happened to common sense?

                Recently a judge ruled that the Forest Service must hold public input before doing practically anything in the forests.   He apparently had reference to the clearing of brush and cutting of trees.   The Forest Service then said, okay….we’ll have to have public hearings on such things as the cutting of mushrooms or even the cutting of Christmas trees.

                The Judge then said…..that’s not rational.   Some things are permissible in the forests without public hearings.

                Well, another judge, this one in Montana, has ruled that the Forest Service must hold hearings on dropping retardant on forest fires.

                He maintains that such actions violate the Endangered Species Act, and indicates that they should, apparently, let the forces of nature take over instead.

                Now….somewhere, somehow there must be some common sense injected into the use and protection of our forests.

                I don’t think there is anyone out there who wants to simply cut all the forests down.   Most want them taken care of in a manner that would perpetuate them.

                Locally, we know the drastic effect that the Endangered Species Act has had on our economy.  The little spotted owl totally decimated logging in this area, and even now threatens the agriculture base by putting them on the bottom of the ladder to use the waters of Upper Klamath Lake.

                Does it make sense to cut only trees that are 21 inches around or less.  That’s the rule now as the environmentalists want to save all old growth timber.   Common sense tells us, first…..that the older growth should be the ones logged…not the younger trees, but then….there’s the question of common sense.

                Also….brush clearing is mandatory to a healthy forest, yet there are those who maintain it should be left so that the denizens of the forest can use them for their purpose.  

                In my book…..first there should be adequate funding at the Federal level for proper care and maintenance of Federal forests….and at the State level for state owned forests.   Second…..clearing underbrush and thinning are essential to a healthy forest.

                Second…..selective logging is equally important and should be confined to older, diseased or burned trees, thus giving us healthy and useable forests.

                Clear cutting is a relic of past practices and should not be permitted.

                As it is almost every instance of timber sales wind up in a court somewhere and results in either no action, or lately in not receiving bids because companies don’t want to go through all the hassle of court actions plus environmental crazies trying to block the logging.

                Rarely does anyone want to damage the environment in which we live, yet as humans we must live also, and at some point common sense must dictate what we do or don’t do.

                Currently, lop-sided emotions have led to Endangered Species decisions that put humans last on the chain.   

                Will Congress change the act to include humans……it’s doubtful.

                Common sense, in my opinion, appears to have succumbed to political pressure as well as the over zealous environmentalists.

                This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.