The decades-long practice of stamping out all forest fires is blamed for the large destructive forest fires of recent years. A new strategy would allow planned burning and logging to prevent such disasters. Some environmental groups oppose the plan.
For 90 years, forestry officials have raced to extinguish any fire on public lands, part of a federal policy that saw forest fires as an enemy that warranted constant vigilance. But state and federal officials now acknowledge that those policies were misguided and must be replaced by a new strategy focused on preventing out-of-control fires... Experts believe that thinning the forest will minimize the chances of a fire burning out of control by giving it less fuel to burn. It also will help restore open spaces to the nation's forests, much as they were before the region was The strategy faces political opposition from some environmentalists who believe it is a way to advance logging interests by allowing trees to be removed from forests.settled...
Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan
FULL STORY: Forest plan marks shift in philosophy
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