Forest Service
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Mission Impossible: When the Pressure to Do Something Exceeds the Knowledge of How to Do it Right
The Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) is a 2003 statute epitomizing the state of the art, such as it is, in environmental legislation. HFRA uses lofty terms—restoration of our federal forests to “health”—and vests meager tools...August 17, 2015 144 0 -
The Lynx Between the Waters: Watersheds, Habitat and Uncertain Restorative Plans
WildEarth Guardians and the Western Environmental Law Center filed suit last week in federal court in Denver. They allege that the Forest Service’s plans for extensive fire protection and restoration work—with some logging and, in particular, clearcutting involved—were...May 5, 2015 548 0 -
Herbicides in the Pacific Northwest: A NEPA Success Story
Professional foresters were once trained to think in very few dimensions. Get the “right” species of tree growing on the “right” lands. Grow them as fast as possible. Cut them when merchantable. Repeat. After generations of...April 14, 2015 328 0 -
Logging in the Tongass: What was Known and When
The Tongass Timber Battle. It rivals the Spotted Owl wars in longevity, energy, lawsuit volume and rhetorical pitch. The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council and allies headed to the Ninth Circuit yesterday on, among other things, a NEPA claim...March 31, 2015 290 0 -
The Wildfire Fix? NEPA’s Role in the Forest (Fire) Service’s Nightmare
A month-long August recess feels like the right time to reflect on Congress’s seeming inability to correct agency procedures, culture, and leadership priorities on wildfire, public lands, and risk. The intersection of these three has been roiled...August 17, 2014 265 0
