Editor,
For good reasons, many revere biodiversity, natural forests. They offer shade, beauty, peace and serenity, as well as numerous ecosystem services, such as anchoring soil and preventing erosion, cooling and purifying the air, and providing habitats for wildlife.
For these reasons, and more, the deceptively named Fix Our Forests Act, currently under consideration by the Senate Agriculture Committee, must be opposed.
The proposal stands out as one of the most detrimental that we’ve seen in decades. FOFA, instead of preventing future wildfires, would allow more logging of our oldest, most fire-resistant trees, potentially increasing the risk of fires.
The bill erodes foundational environmental laws, such as the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and limits public comment and judicial review.
A vote is expected soon. One action we can all take is to call or email U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, a member of the Agriculture Committee, and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, the bill’s co-sponsor, and voice our opposition to FOFA.Â
Please speak for our forests — they enrich our lives and benefit us; we owe them a great deal, and it’s time they are shown proper respect and provided long-term protection in return.Â
Jennifer Normoyle
Hillsborough
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(1) comment
Thanks for your letter, Ms. Normoyle, but it sounds like the status quo regarding forest management that you’re in favor of didn’t work out too well for folks in Los Angeles County. Wouldn’t it be better if we can make use of trees instead of allowing wildfires to burn trees and houses and many other things standing in their way? You say our forests should be shown proper respect and provided long-term protection in return. Exactly. Wildfires will occur but we can limit the size and scope of these wildfires with proven fire and forest management techniques. So don’t we have a duty to Fix Our Forests? What are your proposed solutions? We know the status quo doesn’t work.
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