The U.S. Forest Service is proposing a massive burning project for the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests in California that includes all Wilderness—more than 842,000 acres—on the two forests. The project proposes burning up to 82,000 acres/year on the forests’ 2.4 million acres—for an indefinite time period.
The so-called “Sequoia and Sierra National Forests Prescribed Fire Project” is the largest intervention/manipulation project ever proposed for Wilderness. Some of America’s most loved Wilderness areas are at stake, including the Ansel Adams, Dinkey Lakes, John Muir, Kaiser, Kiavah, Monarch, South Sierra, Dome Land, Jennie Lakes, and Golden Trout Wildernesses.
While we recognize that fire has played, and continues to play, an important ecological role in these Wildernesses, the Forest Service proposal represents a huge human-driven manipulation of Wilderness that is inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the 1964 Wilderness Act. From a wilderness perspective, it is far better to allow natural, lightning-caused fire to play its role, rather than to invade Wilderness to cut down “undesirable” trees and burn forests based on human wishes and desires.
Wilderness Watch is urging the Forest Service to exclude all Wilderness and Recommended Wilderness Areas in the two national forests from this extensive burning and habitat manipulation project.
Read our scoping comments
Photo: Manager-ignited burn in Sierra National Forest by Kari Greer/USFS.
