Studies Find Danger to Forests in Thinning Without Burning

[Tom Rankin]

MISSOULA, Mont. — Thinning forests without also burning accumulated brush and deadwood may increase forest fire damage rather than reduce it, researchers at the Forest Service reported in two recent studies.

The findings cast doubt on how effective some of the thinning done under [the] Healthy Forests Initiative will be at preventing fires if the forests are not also burned.

Full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/s...8b336cf04f24&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

 

[spencer]

Thanks for sharing the article, Tom.

Be careful not to draw conclusions for a geographic extent other than that used in the research. While that is certainly very good information for Montana and many other western locales, it is conspicuously inaccurate for our neck of the woods where we have very wet forests with prolific natural regeneration.

In the northeast, thinning is primarily used as a silvicultural tool and not as a forest protection tool.

Spencer

 

[Gris]

Comments removed by moderator