Oregon, known for its green landscapes and conservation efforts, has to battle fierce forest fires on an annual basis. To try to help with this issue, former President George W. Bush’s administration suggested thinning trees in the areas around the 102 cabins of Diamond Lake, Ore. Thinning trees around cabins would help prevent the loss of homes in the area, but tress would also be thinned in the back-country.
When is Thin too Thin?
When current Barak Obama became President, he promised to not follow through with the Bush administration’s plans to cut trees in order to save 58 million acres of forests and protect road-less areas where logs were once cut for commercial purposes.
The Associated Press reports that residents of the Diamond Lake area are more than willing to trim trees back from homes and cabins, but do not feel quite right about the thinning of trees in the back-country. They know that thinning the trees back will significantly reduce the risk of wildfires and help keep the pine beetles at bay, which have been infesting the area. The thoughts and fears of potential wildfires and the too-present pine beetle linger in the back of their minds, keeping residents on the fence about how many trees should be cut so homes can be saved.
Until the courts rule on how much trimming should be done to the trees, officials will keep protecting the forests from unlawful logging and residents will keep taking measures to protect their homes from wildfires.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennwilliamspdx/ / CC BY 2.0
