Forest Service Proposes Framework Revisions

Revised U.S. Forest Services plans to the Sierra Nevada Framework would boost logging of more and larger trees to fund wildfire protection efforts. The updated proposal for more than 11 million acres of the Sierra Nevada concentrates tree thinning near mountain communities such as those in the Mother Lode€™s Stanislaus National Forest. The proposed revision also allows cutting trees up to 30 inches in diameter, up from a previous limitation of 20 inches for trees in old forest protection areas.

The Forest Service says the plan balances short and long-term fire protections for both wildlife and fire-threatened communities. Environmental organizations say the overall revisions to the Sierra Nevada Framework will force a court challenge if they are adopted this fall after a public environmental review.