by Joe Stone | Apr 23, 2026 | Briefly
In June, Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon introduced H.R. 655, the Dalles Watershed Development Act, which would transfer ownership of approximately 150 acres of Mount Hood National Forest from the citizens of the United States to the City of The Dalles, Oregon....
by Joe Stone | Apr 7, 2026 | Briefly
In spite of a lack of scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of aerial fire retardant, in spite of revelations that show toxic heavy metals in fire retardant, and in spite of setbacks in federal court, Agriculture Department Secretary Brooke Rollins signed a...
by Joe Stone | Feb 3, 2026 | In Depth, Fire Truth
Beetle-kill trees make an easy target in the rush to defend our forests and communities from wildfire. The trees are dead and brown, so they must be a fire hazard, especially in today’s unnaturally dense forests. Therefore, we need to cut the trees and salvage...
by Joe Stone | Nov 1, 2025 | Fire Truth, In Depth
Piñon-juniper woodlands may not inspire the kind of awe that people experience among the redwoods of California or the old-growth Douglas-fir trees of the Pacific Northwest, but piñon-juniper forests are one of the most extensive ecosystems in western North America...
by Joe Stone | Aug 12, 2025 | Fire Truth, In Depth
Following a fire season that started in April and grew worse during a summer of drought conditions, hurricane-force winds battered Idaho, Montana, and Washington on Aug. 20, 1910. The winds breathed new life into small and smoldering fires across the Northern Rockies....
by Joe Stone | May 11, 2025 | In Depth
Dead trees have become a frequent target of the Forest Service in the years since the agency was forced to stop allowing clear-cut logging of old-growth trees. Either labeled as “hazard trees” or subject to “salvage logging,” dead trees have been identified by the...
by Joe Stone | Feb 6, 2025 | In Depth
Donald Trump’s return to the White House is unprecedented. He’s the first convicted felon to be elected to the presidency after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 charges stemming from a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election. Manhattan Judge Juan M....
by Joe Stone | Dec 10, 2024 | Fire Truth, In Depth
Protecting water resources is a common justification for conducting wildfire mitigation projects on our national forests. The concern is valid, as forestland provides “the cleanest and most stable water supply compared to other lands,” according to a 2022 Forest...
by Joe Stone | Aug 15, 2024 | In Depth
In the Forest Service old-growth analysis released in June, the Biden administration recommends restricting — but not eliminating — old-growth logging on our national forests. This draft environmental impact statement (EIS) proposes amending all national forest...
by Joe Stone | May 13, 2024 | Fire Truth, In Depth
‘One of the most significant ecological crises facing land managers in the arid West’ A report published in January, Cheatgrass Invasions: History, Causes, Consequences, and Solutions, by Western Watershed Projects is the source of the above quote....
