Camp 70 Foresters: Out of the Woodshed--A time to Lead

Learning Objectives:

• Upon completion, participants will understand the severity of the Western wildfire problem that has grown over the past 40 years due to little or no vegetation management on our public lands. Forest growth exceeds removals resulting in dangerous fuel loads of too many trees, including ladder fuels of green, dead, dying trees, and brush. The pace and scale of treatments must be planned and implemented to alleviate this condition.
• Upon completion, participants will learn that we can’t burn our way out of the problem of overstocked forests with dangerous fuel loads. Participants will learn and begin thinking of alternatives for treating large landscapes. There is not a one size fits all solution. Forest managers must prioritize landscape treatments based on stand densities, topography, public interest, wildlife, historical, and other considerations.
• Upon completion, participants will see the need for the forestry community to fight back against special interest groups who advocate for little or no forest management. The current well-intended plans and actions to address the wildland vegetation problems are insufficient to address the magnitude of the problem. Our efforts must educate the public and public officials on the severity of the problem and the measures necessary to preserve our public forestlands. These actions include relaxing some environmental regulations and streamlining the approval process to implement forest management plans in our Western National Forests and Parks.