The LA wildfires have been devastating and heartbreaking to watch. There are signs in Oregon that these disasters have finally registered in the Democrat supermajority’s mind. When the problem of empty reservoirs and no water was exposed, people wondered how Oregon prepares for the dry summer wildfire season.

Oregon has been through the Spotted Owl debacle, which resulted in shutting down logging in Oregon, only to finally find out that the real cause for the decline in the Spotted Owl population was another owl, the Barred Owl. The Barred owl is bigger and more aggressive than the Spotted Owl, so they move into the other owl’s territory. However, the environmentalists used the Spotted Owl to destroy the logging industry in Oregon, resulting in thousands of families losing jobs and homes and moving out of Oregon.

So, where are we today? We know well-managed forests are less likely to burn, but that fact means allowing loggers to cut, thin, and control diseased trees. There is now a proposal to create reservoirs and capture the rainfall of the Pacific Ocean. The reservoir could be used to fight wildfires and offer places to fish, boat, kayak, etc. The water could also be used in irrigation schemes to help stop uncontrolled burns in the summer. The third proposal is to cut fire breaks where fire crews can quickly access backcountry fires and clean up brush under power lines if the lines are over.

These things have been proposed to the Oregon legislature and are being investigated to see how best to implement them. We recognize that there will be wildfires, but the time to fight them is now. An old saying states, “You can pay me now or later.” It is time to acknowledge that the environmental policies we have been operating under are not working. Our forests burn, trees are left standing after they have been burned, waiting for the next lightning strike to set the forest ablaze, and people with laptops and questionable college majors set forest policy using “climate change” claims to burn the state we call home to the ground. This has to stop, and sanity needs to be returned to these discussions.

John Woods: Husband, Father, Conservative, Patriot, Activist, Delegate to state Oregon Republican Party.

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