National Forest

Last month, on the way back from the Oregon State Fair, I passed the Wallowa Whitman National Forest and I noticed something sad. As you cross the border of the National Forest the United States Forest Services' management plan becomes apparent: there isn't one. Dead trees litter the forest floor, lean on each other and live trees, underbrush creeps over everything, roads are not maintained and the trees that are alive are extremely cramped and unhealthy. I was shocked at the atrocious health of one of our national landmarks! The Forest Service is here to take care of the National Forests, not allow them to decay into dumps! It is small wonder that we are afraid of even one careless match or cigarette butt: one spark and the entire forest would go up in flames, simply because someone said "Let nature take its course." The travel management plan which the USFS is trying to implement int the Wallowa Whitman will not help matters. By closing half of the roads in the forest, there will be no way to get in fight wildfires, resulting in an even worse mess. Man, for good or ill, has an impact on his environment and we must manage it if we, and that environment, are to survive. Without management, such as logging, the forests today are both a blessing and a curse to us. A wildfire puts everyone in the area in danger, both of life and their livelihood. If we were allowed to log the forest, within limits, our economy would improve, the forest would be healthier and we would have better recreation opportunities. The USFS needs to be reminded that it is an agency of a government by the people, of the people and for the people, tasked with the stewardship of land owned, not by the USFS, but by us! We depend on the forest for grazing, firewood, lumber, recreation, hunting, fishing and more; it is in our best interest to ensure its health.