‘Log it or let it burn’ trope

by Bill LaCroix, Victor

To those who do not know but might be interested before they default to the “log it or let it burn’ trope: The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) and indeed the Wilderness Act of 1964 were born here in the Bitterroot and in the offices of exceptional Montana politicians (a dying species here) like Lee Metcalf. This valley was blessed with conservation visionaries like Guy Brandborg (BNF Supervisor, 1935-55), his son, Stewart Brandborg (Ex. Director, Wilderness Society, 1964-76), Doris Milner (kick-butt housewife who loved wild country) and a host of other citizen-activists who saw the critical need for the public to have a say in forest management projects. Drive up to Bare Cone Lookout and take a look at the pyramid-like remnants of the forest on the way up, the result of the misguided “Terrace Logging” debacle that precipitated the Clearcut Crisis, that precipitated the NFMA. There are real consequences to the forest-loving public when they are sidelined and ignored (illegally IMO) by Anderson’s “needs based”, “trust us”, 150,000 acre management unit which, like Jeff Lonn points out in his Letter-to-the-Editor a couple weeks ago, includes almost 30,000 acres of commercial “trust us” logging. These forests that we have loved over the decades are the result of those of us who don’t trust loggers, whose primary motivation is to ‘get the cut out’ to do a conscientious job, like they said they were doing in the 60s and 70s with terrace logging. For those who think that logging mature, carbon-storing trees during this time of climate crisis is going to help fireproof the forest, I’d say read a book every once in awhile. Never too late to learn.