Why are hazardous trees cut?

Answer:  By cutting down a few dead trees and eliminating the over-head hazards, the fire crews are able to complete their dangerous fire line tasks in relative safety.

How are the trees disposed of after they are cut?

Answer:  Most frequently the trees just stay where they are felled.  Logging is usually prohibited on public land.

Do you mean no one can use them?

Answer:  If the trees are near a road, firewood cutters can obtain permits to process them.  In years past, the public land produced millions of dollars for schools, libraries, road departments and recreation departments from the logging receipts after large fires;  this process has since been prohibited.  Legislation will have to change before the cycle returns.

What are the environmental and ecological benefits of logging after a large fire?

Answer:  Logging and replanting is beneficial for the environment and could help with the problem of global warming because the newly planted forests gobble up tons of carbon dioxide gasses each year.  It is also being documented by private companies that the new growth also provides excellent habitat for numerous members on our endangered species list.

What are the effects on the environment if the burns are not logged?

Answer:  There is a very short cycle that evolves.  First there is a burst of young brush that pops from the blackened earth.  Wildlife abounds for about five years.  The brush then chokes out most other plants and the brush itself becomes too old to provide the quality habitat that it once did for the birds and animals.  Inevitably lightening will strike one of the thousands of standing snags and re-burn will occur.  The cycle is being observed and documented more and more as the climate gets dryer.