According to the American Bird Conservancy, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has withdrawn a logging plan that was designed to reduce the impact of forest fires in Oregon. It was but a few years ago that a devastating wild fire burned out of control nearly to the edge of a redwood forest. Whether you believe in God or worship some idol of wind, the winds changed and saved the old trees and just the right moment.

Redwood trees are magnificent plants. Some are over 2,000 years old and can exceed heights of 300 feet. One of my bucket list things to do before I pass on is to visit these wonderful trees. The chances I might not make it in time just improved in my opinion.

One of the today’s biggest problems in combating wild fires on the coast is the lush overgrown underbrush and fallen trees. The plan as I understood it was to clear out this overgrowth and remove some trees. There was no provision to conduct vast clear cuts as some have described it. This area is also home to the Spotted Owl and other birds, none of which are on the endangered species list. However, opponents of the plan complained that hundreds of nests would be lost and all of these species would then have to be added to the endangered list.

We were very fortunate the last time a fire threatened the area. Can you just imagine the devastation that will be caused when the next one comes through and there is no way to stop it? Can you calculate the amount of CO₂ that will be unleashed? I would suggest that they start building up their fire-fighting fund but if the do that and a politician sees that money sitting there, it will not be any safer than those trees.