Diverse Interests Support Rim Fire Recovery
Sonora, CA — A diverse group of interests is coming together in support of prompt removal of salvageable trees in the burned out Rim Fire area.
The Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions group is chaired by Mike Albrecht of the Tuolumne County Alliance for Resources and the Environment (TuCare) and John Buckley of the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center (CSERC). The group has sent a letter to USDA Regional Forester Randy Moore in support of the Forest Service’s proposed Rim Fire Recovery Project and Hazard Tree Environmental Assessment Project.
Chairman Albrecht says, “We stand united in opposing any delay.” Vice Chairman Buckley adds, “It is far more logical to have the industry remove dead trees with a return for taxpayers than to let the wood deteriorate so it loses saw-log value. In that case, taxpayers would end up having to pay huge amounts of money to remove the dead wood to reduce unsafe fuel levels.”
The letter from the group states, “Any delays due to litigation or inadequate resources could jeopardize the multiple economic and environmental benefits that the two pivotal projects will yield.”
The letter is signed by 20 groups, including the Tuolumne County Farm Bureau, Tuolumne River Trust, Tuolumne Group Sierra Club, Sierra Pacific Industries, California Forestry Association, Blue Mountain Minerals, Tuolumne Band of Me Wuk Indians, Tuolumne County, Central Sierra Audubon Society, and others.
