This last years trip around the country has been one I will remember for many reasons. Covering thousands of miles of forestlands in state, private and National Forests, I'm both thrilled at what I saw in some areas and numb from what I photographed in others. State forestlands and private lands are what you would expect... well managed timberlands designed for the long term commitment of dedicated people to continuing the legacy of sustainable and improved timberland management with an eye to the future and constantly looking for better ways to manage and enhance all the benefits management can provide, including habitat for the many and diverse plant and wildlife species.

On the other hand..... in our National Forests, particularly in the west..... the sight was sickening, wasteful, destructive and politicized.

I photographed millions of acres of over-crowded, diseased, burnt or burning forestlands.... our forests, worth billions and billions of dollars are being allowed to rot and burn in ever larger numbers under the name of 'environmental protectionism'. I am sickened.

Our forests mean too much to this country to be 'wasted' like that!

In most areas, not all, the National Forest personnel have been trying to cope with, or properly manage their forests for all values. When disease gets started, or a forest killing insect epidemic invades, they are trying to do the proper thing. They are trying to manage the forest, which usually includes timber harvesting to deal with the problem. Yet Congress over the years, has saddled them with so much paper work in determining what is the right thing to do with NEMA, NEPA, water quality issues, endangered species considerations, archeological site determination, historical site considerations, Native American spiritual and medicinal plant issues and so on, that it takes 1-3 years before they can even respond. Only then, if that site meets all the proper criteria, can anything be done. However, by that time an insect problem usually has become a major epidemic, killing thousands of acres. The value of the timber by then, is virtually nothing. Consequently by the time a sale is listed..... there are no takers.

If a sale is purchased, an appeal is usually filed by an environmental group, determined to prevent any timber sales, even 'forest saving' sales. If that doesn't stop a sale, then a law suit is filed that takes more time, costs much more money and delays or negates the entire process. What's interesting, if the environmental group wins the lawsuit, the Forest Service must also pay the enviros cost to fight the suit. So, we the public get to pay twice for trying to save our forests, yet still with nothing happening on the ground and the problem getting worse.

This problem was made even more apparent this year with the massive destructive fires we have seen in the west. Several of these areas I have shown in past calendars, with the warning that fire is eminent and sure enough.... this year it happened. And with the hot dry temperatures, we had fires that no one could put out - until the fires were ready to be put out, and some are still burning into the fall. Again we can thank those who have hampered, hindered or prevented the Forest Service from doing what they are paid to do.... effectively manage the forests.

Two years ago in this very spot, I said the following.....

"These conditions are so apparent and overwhelming in our National Forests today, particularly the western forests, that Forest Service entomologists (bug experts) are predicting major outbreaks of tree killing insect infestations to effect millions and millions of acres of our public forestlands in the next few years. The result will be dead and dying forests, which are then even more susceptible to major "catastrophic" fires.

"How can this be avoided? Manage our forests pro-actively! Private landowners have been doing this using modern forestry science for many years now. These days it's not hard to tell which forest is public (National Forest) and which is private forestlands, its the difference between non-management & management.

"The real irony here is...... that the only way to "preserve" our forests is to actively manage them. That means "weeding" out over-crowded stands, dead, dying and diseased trees before they cause other problems. Not only do we benefit from the timber, but a healthy forest benefits the entire eco-system, including endangered species.

"We all need healthy forests to survive. True preservation is the intelligent management across the entire landscape! As we enter this millennium..... let's think to the future and how will we prepare the forests to meet our grandchildren's needs? Alive and healthy..... or dead and dying? It's up to us, now!"

We have the technology and it's a 'win-win' for everything. The eco-system, the wildlife, stream and water quality and it has been estimated that as many as 1-million jobs, family-wage jobs, could be created in the process and re-vitalize our sagging unemployment in the western states. How could any responsible environmental group oppose such an opportunity? Yet..... they do!

President Bush made an historic trip into the fire ravenged West to see the problem for himself and as a result proposed landmark legislation designed to "streamline" the tasks before the Forest Service. The goal: help restore our public forests to a 'healthy' state. Yet the major environmental groups have lined up against the President and his goal. Congress has even made this a political debate. Environmentalists and many congressmen have campaigned to be "for the environment", yet they continue to oppose solutions and we continue to lose millions upon millions of acres of forestland and wildlife habitat. Make any sense?