“Five wildfire recovery strategies for the Sierra Nevada” is from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a California state agency “that leads California’s efforts to restore and enhance the extraordinary natural resources and communities of the Sierra Nevada while protecting them from wildfire and a changing climate.” Its board of directors “is made up of state-appointed officials, local county supervisors, and federal land management representatives who provide strategic direction to our projects and programs.”
These 5 strategies might work well elsewhere in the western US:
1. Landscape-scale forest restoration
2. Water supply protection
3. Strategic reforestation
4. Rapid expansion of wood-utilization infrastructure
5. Support for community-led initiatives
Another “conservancy” hi-jacked by extractive industries who seek “pace and scale” above ecological processes. “Rapid expansion of wood-utilization infrastructure” is just not well aligned with climate and ecological goals.
The “pace and scale” of wildfires is increasing MUCH faster. You always manage to exclude the human-caused wildfire issues (added to the lightning-caused wildfires). This push to move the goalposts again will fail. The greater good is to evaluate site specific conditions in areas at risk to intense wildfires. Yes, of course, the Forest Service uses timber sales in those areas where there are excess merchantable trees. That should be an obvious reality. The protections will remain in place. The public needs to be assured of that.
I do agree that any new infrastructure should be diversified and sustainable. There would be an initial surge, until a maintenance phase can be achieved. We can either invest in our forests, or let ‘whatever happens’, happen.
Clever how they inserted this into a “wildfire recovery” strategy:
“At the same time, continued investment in landscape-level restoration treatments in unburned forests can build resilience to future fires.”
Clever? Seems reasonable and prudent to me.