Moreover, as increasing urbanization, auto emissions and industry in rural and forested areas degrade air quality, forest managers are becoming more restricted with the use of prescribed burning to reduce fuel levels. The air quality impacts of smoke from wildland fire are important, particularly when most California air basins are located in non-attainment areas for many pollutants, including those most closely associated with wild and prescribed fires.

Selective forest thinnings must be first step . . .
Prescribed fire has an important role to play, but in the Tahoe basin, carefully implemented selective thinnings must be the first step in restoring and maintaining our forest ecosystems. So now is the time to implement an aggressive and extensive forest management program that integrates reduction of forest fuels through forest thinning, pruning, removal of brush and insect-killed trees to create an all-age, multi-story and fire-resilient forest.

Selectively thinning 30 percent of trees in an unhealthy forest will eliminate 93 percent of future tree death and lower potential for catastrophic fire.

Biomass thinning reduces air pollution compared to prescribed fire . . .
Removal of biomass (mostly brush and unhealthy or dead trees) first, for example, reduces the amount of air pollution that would occur in a prescribed fire. Burning 10,000 acres per year in the Tahoe basin would release more than 25,000 tons of carbon monoxide and more than 4,000 tons of fine particulate matter each year, which not only would affect visibility around the lake, but also would cause exceedances of state and federal air quality standards.

With biomass thinning, the same 10,000 acres could be treated with 97 percent less air pollution of only 750 tons of carbon monoxide and 28 tons of particulate matter -- with no visible smoke. In addition, fuels from biomass thinning in the Tahoe basin would generate enough electricity to power 15,000 households annually.

The result of a biomass thinning is a forest that is healthy, more fire resistant and provides an improved habitat for fish and wildlife -- with an emphasis on the kind of forest that is desired and not on which material is removed.

Forest thinning has been around for centuries . . .
Forest-stand thinning has been a silvicultural practice since the early 18th century. Thinning the number of trees to open the forest floor to light and also to reduce the competition for soil moisture can promote additional development of grass and shrub species along with the animals whose habitat depends on a healthy understory. Removing competing vegetation and high-risk trees results in the reduction of tree mortality because the remaining trees become healthier.

At the June 30 Tahoe conference, Secretary Babbitt said that many forests have been growing without fire for a hundred years. That means there are substantial numbers of trees that need to be cut and that can be cut appropriately in order to move back towards a pre-settlement vision of a multi-seral stage forest of correct species that had been maintained by fire.

Many types of forest thinning available . . .
Mechanical thinning intensity can vary, leaving denser areas for wildlife cover and lighter grounds where fire risk is greater. Biomass thinning to reduce fire hazards should occur about every 15 to 20 years. The cost of biomass thinning can be offset by selling the removed material as products such as wood fuel or paper-pulp chips.

Precommercial thinning is selective removal of brush and small, unmerchantable trees from a timber stand in order to reduce competition for the remaining trees.

Commercial thinning is selective removal of small diameter trees to promote timber growth, and/or improve forest health by leaving the healthy, vigorous and larger trees.

Green firebreaks are corridors in which standing timber is thinned to reduce fuel and provide a place for fire suppression personnel to stop a fast-moving forest fire, but enough trees are left standing to retain a forest appearance.

Salvage logging is removal of dead and diseased trees. In a Tahoe basin treatment area where Jeffrey pine beetle infestations were controlled after four consecutive years of removing dead, dying and infested trees, Jeffrey pine beetle-related mortality declined from 330 trees in 1983 to four trees in 1987, a 99 percent reduction within the treated area.

Bipartisan passage of Quincy Library Group legislation showcases VALUE of collaborative approaches . . .
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said at the June 30 Lake Tahoe conference that the Tahoe basin is a showcase that demonstrates innovative, collaborative approaches can be used to restore large-scale ecosystems. Babbitt also said that the time is now to take such action.

Collaborative efforts like the Quincy Library Group, which is creating a comprehensive solution to the problem of maintaining forest health and safety, provide a good start for addressing these issues. Rep. Wally Herger's Quincy Library Group legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Vic Fazio, recently passed the House of Representatives on July 9, 1997 with broad bipartisan support on a vote of 429 to one -- marking a breakthrough in efforts to shift the source of innovation away from Washington and back to the local communities. The bill is designed to reduce the risk of wildfire according to local consensus and solutions.

In response to recent passage of the Quincy Library Group Legislation, the Los Angeles Times reported that Rep. Fazio said it is his hope the Quincy concensus will be a model for broader solutions; and that Sen. Dianne Feinstein said it's a lesson for us all when a local community, environmentalists, timber interests and others can come together and solve a very contentious issue. The Sacramento Bee reported that Linda Blum, a Quincy environmentalist, called it a vote of confidence for communities and for solving problems; and that Bill Coates, a Plumas County Supervisor and co-founder of the group, said the goal is to return the forest to the open, fire-resistant state European settlers found when they first arrived.