Chief Christiansen is Hitting Her Stride

Based on her Hill appearances this week, it won’t be long until “interim” is removed from Forest Service Chief Christiansen’s title. In yesterday’s testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources she struck an impressive balance of deference and confidence in responding to members’ questions. Republicans pushed her to “treat” more “at-risk” acres, but haven’t been willing to pay the extra cost to remove more worthless small trees and flammable brush. Chairman McClintock pined for the good old days of the 1970s when the Forest Service cut 10 billion board feet a year, creating much of today’s forest health problems by logging fire resistant old-growth. Christiansen stuck to her script — the FS is doing more fuels-related work and focused on improving planning processes that are within its control.

nb: She also pointed out that recreation is an important source of national forests jobs.

2 thoughts on “Chief Christiansen is Hitting Her Stride”

  1. #PreservePolarity

    Edit: I’m sure that there are some Republicans in the House who look at McClintock and roll their eyes, knowing that his extreme ideas are perfectly flawed. He represents the very real, and very extreme opposite of ‘preservationists’. Proposing extreme regulations, from both sides, just wastes time, natural resources and… money.

    Reply
  2. “Fire resistant old-growth” or “over-dense stands of senescent trees that are unable to adaprt to a changing environment and are being decimated by insects and disease”. Is it possible that these two views might both have merit? Who is better better able to determine which view is most applicable to the specific conditions that exist on the ground than the local resource manager? Certainly not the Chief Forester behind the desk in Washington, or the members of the House Resources Committee, or the concerned citizens who make up the Sierra Club.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Larry Harrell Fotoware Cancel reply