Fall has arrived and so has the blame game for wildfires. Never mind that for thousands of years, fire has created healthy forests and diverse habitats. It, like snow, is an integral part of the Northern Rockies.
Montana politicians Zinke, Gianforte, and Daines converged on the Lolo Peak fire. Their message was clear: we’re not managing forests and radical environmentalists are using frivolous lawsuits. According to Steve Daines, “If we don’t address the litigation issue, the frivolous litigation from extreme environmental groups — we’re never going to get ahead of this curve,” (KPAX news Aug. 25, 2017). He also says, “If you do not manage the forest they become unhealthy” (Independent Record. Sept. 7, 2017). With that thinking, one can imagine how unhealthy forests were 400 years ago without industrial logging and thousands of miles of roads cutting through them.
I contacted a Bitterroot Forest employee and requested a list of all projects since 2010. The forest website has good data but it’s not complete. I met with this employee on two occasions to be sure I correctly understood the data.
Since 2010, there have been 118 projects. These range from timber sales, to trail relocations, to grazing allotments. All required a decision document and all could have been litigated. What I found was at odds with what our politicians are saying. Of the 118 projects, not a single one was halted by an environmental group or anyone else. That bears repeating; out of 118 projects, not a single one was halted. No log or 2-x-4 was prevented from coming off the forest. A homeowner litigated the Westside Timber Sale, not over timber, rather concerns for their private property. That was settled and as the Darby District Ranger has said, “We wouldn’t have been able to implement it (Westside Project) that quickly even without the lawsuit.”
The data led to other finds. Since the BNF began the objection process there have been 41 people/groups submitting objections. Listening to our politicians, one would believe that environmentalists were abusing the system. It’s false. Objectors include Ravalli County Commissioners, homeowners, mountain bikers, OHV groups, environmental groups, local realtors, a state politician and many individuals. It’s a diverse group. All are exercising their rights to question government. It’s the democratic process.
Something else came to light. There have been about 88 total objections over the years. Of those, not a single one resulted in any on the ground change for a project. That’s an important concept. Even when objections are filed, they do not result in any on the ground alterations. The objections are overridden.
A letter in the Bitterroot Star (Poor Management, Sept. 14th) claims a Forest Service employee on the Stevensville District stated “environmentalists” had “thwarted” plans near Bass Creek. The data does not show that nor do my meetings with the employee who provided the data. It would be nice to meet with this employee and the Forest Supervisor for clarification.
According to the BNF data, no project is being stopped by anyone, much less “radical” environmentalists. Objecting to government practices is part of the democratic process. We’re blessed in the U.S. that citizens can challenge the government. That right applies to all, not just those we agree with.
It’s noteworthy the politicians didn’t mention human caused climate change or building in forested areas. Scientists/ Forest Service personnel know those are important factors. “Climate change has led to fire seasons that are now on average 78 days longer than in 1970. . . . Increasing development in fire-prone areas also puts more stress on the Forest Service’s suppression efforts” (The Rising Costs of Wildfire Operations, USFS. 2015 p. 2).
Name calling and alternative facts are common now but they don’t replace real facts/ science. It’s fortunate we live in a country where we can challenge our government, no matter who we are. When people like Zinke, Gianforte, and Daines accuse groups of stopping projects, I hope they include the data and the fire/ecological studies to back them up. Those claims are not true on the Bitterroot National Forest.
Gary Milner
Corvallis