By Marilyn Wolff, Stevensville
Should taxpayers and Ravalli County residents support a huge timber cut of approximately 150,000 acres? Wouldn’t you think the cut should be within the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and not encroaching into roadless, proposed wilderness? The cut will be along the eastern face of the Bitterroot Range from Darby to Florence. Now ask yourself a few questions:
What will the magnitude of this cut look like for those who recreate in and prize the beauty of our forests in the Bitterroot Valley? Will there be any cover left for wildlife? This is a good question to all you hunters.
Is this just another excuse to cut the forest to save the forest; trees are precious and store carbon to offset climate change?
With no timber mills in Ravalli County, the cost to entice distant companies with their own employees must add to the cost of the project. How is that helping local loggers with jobs?
Fire science now shows those living in the forest can survive a wildfire and protect their homes and structures by clearing within 100 feet of their buildings. Getting rid of combustibles and building fire-resistant homes is important for it’s the blowing embers that ignite.
I hope you’ll consider going to the next Forest Service Meeting on the Bitterroot Front Project, Tuesday, October 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Stevensville Westside Fire Station, 156 Kinsman Dr, Stevensville.