Letter to the Editor

Laws cause fires

Wednesday, January 7, 2004

I was amused at the letter in the Speak Out section in the Jan 5 Gazette, "More mudslides?" The author blamed President Bush for the mudslides in the Philippines and in the San Bernardino area of California, by "allowing the logging companies to police themselves."

First of all, George Bush is not the president of the Philippines, and has no authority there. Second, the mudslides in the San Bernardino area were the result of forest fires, which denuded the area of all plant life, not logging. Having lived in Southern California for more than 30 years, I can say that there are very few, if any trees of interest to the logging companies in the San Bernardino area.

This area is mostly chaparal, brush and small pine trees, and is mostly government land which is off limits to logging. The reason for so many forest fires, is due to environmental regulations which prevent the forest from being managed by removing some of the underbrush, to reduce the fuel.

Donald Behnke

via e-mail

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