Letters to the Editor: California must learn from past forest fires and ban clear-cut logging

To the editor: The study referenced in this article (“Private land used for logging is more prone to severe fire than public lands. A new study shows why,” Aug. 21) highlights how clear-cut logging transforms natural forests into flammable industrial tree farms. For this reason and others, a ballot proposition in California in 1990 called for a statewide ban on the practice. It was, unfortunately, roundly defeated due in part to a well-funded and polished opposition campaign by the timber and agricultural industries.

Had voters listened more to the environmental coalition that authored the proposition, the devastation left in the wake of recent fires like the Camp (2018) and Dixie (2021) fires, which raged through industrial tree farms, may never have occurred.

Philosopher George Santayana famously stated, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Now is the time to heed those prophetic words and ban clear-cutting forever.

Jennifer Normoyle, Hillsborough, Calif.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.