Environmental researchers working with the Oregon State University and the Michigan State University recently argued that, if US's spotted owl and countless other species are to survive for many years to come, then active forest management in the Pacific Northwest is a must.
Their study, published in the Journal Forest Ecology and Management, states that it is necessary for humans to get involved in managing these areas because they pose significant wildfire risks.
To put it bluntly: while some might argue that US's forests need be left alone for conservation purposes, these specialists claim that activities such as logging and thinning the vegetation will in fact prove beneficial on the long run.
This is because “trimming” the Pacific Northwest is bound to reduce the negative effects that wildfires have over natural ecosystems.
As reported on
Oregon State University's website, John Bailey, one of the researchers who investigated this dilemma, explained how “For many years now, for species protection as well as other reasons, we've avoided almost all management of many public forest lands."
However, "The problem is that fire doesn't respect the boundaries we create for wildlife protection.”
Given the fact that the conservation parks in the Pacific Northwest house numerous endangered species, such as the Northern spotted owl, the case is made that, rather than being left alone to deal with stand-replacing fires as best as they can, these animals need to be aided to overcome their vulnerability.
Apparently, this can be achieved by getting actively involved in making their natural habitats fireproof.
The same source informs us that this can be easily achieved by improving on how crowded in terms of vegetation US's forests are.
For the time being, the only setback seems to be that by cutting down some of the trees in this part of the world for said purposes, the forests will lose some of their carbon storing abilities.
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