After wildfires, Park Service needs to trust nature and let it restore itself | Opinion
Nature thrives without us
“Park Service shouldn’t plant sequoia seedlings post-fire,” (sacbee.com, Nov. 9)
I’ve also been to a burned forest a couple of years post-fire and it is far from a desert-scape.
Much like the mosaic of living and dead trees left by the fire, there are patches of profusely blooming wildflowers, patches thick with thousands of seedlings making it difficult to traverse across without stepping on one. There are trees regenerating from their roots scattered amid those living and dead trees with charred fragments scattered all over, enriching the soil. Insects, birds and animals are all there going about their lives.
Forests were here on Earth for hundreds of millions of years before man ever evolved, even changing the atmosphere and thus allowing life as we know it to exist. The modern trees we’re familiar with, like sequoias, ponderosa pines and douglas firs, have existed for tens of millions of years without our help. They don’t need it now.
Frank Toriello
Montague
Watch and wait
“Park Service shouldn’t plant sequoia seedlings post-fire,” (sacbee.com, Nov. 9)
In support of op-ed author Douglas Bevington: Sequoias have nothing but time. They grow for thousands of years. A blip of 20 years is scarcely on their radar, yet we are making decisions about whether to plant instead of waiting for reseeding in a handful of years that will affect these giants for centuries of growth.
Should we rehome seeds from a more extreme climate area in preparation for climate change? Nursery plants are needed to restore the population. If we were to study this issue for 20 years and then act in a more conscientious manner, wouldn’t that make more sense given the lifespan of a sequoia?
Watch and wait for life to take hold.
Janet Doherty
Sacramento
Opinion
Let nature do its job
“Park Service shouldn’t plant sequoia seedlings post-fire,” (sacbee.com, Nov. 9)
I, too, recently toured post-fire Sierra forests and saw incredible natural regeneration. I also toured the results of post-fire salvage logging followed by replanting of tiny conifers. Most were dead or dying, and that landscape looked like a surrealistic tree cemetery.
We should trust nature and let it restore itself. The ultimate result may look somewhat different due to the impacts of climate change, but it will likely still be superior to human attempts. If we want exact replication of what is lost, we need to reverse the impacts of climate change. That does not appear to be happening with the needed urgency. Until then, both natural and human attempts are doomed to fall short.
Jennifer Normoyle
Hillsborough
Shame on CPUC
“California regulators approve PG&E rate hike for next year,” (sacbee.com, Nov. 16)
I was not shocked to read the recent article detailing the California Public Utility Commission’s approval of the proposed rate hike for 2023, but I was angered and disgusted. I worry about how the increase will soon impact my wife and I. Shame on the Commission; Californians already struggle with costs here.
To our hypocritical governor: How do you expect us all to keep up with your cost hikes? Our current state government and leaders watch as food, gas, housing and home energy costs skyrocket. Citizens across the country in the other 49 states wonder what the heck is going on here.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tenure cannot end soon enough for all of us that actually have to live on a budget. To the CPUC commissioners: Please explain yourselves to PG&E energy users and then resign.
Kevin Shaffer
Davis
Will of the people
“Hundreds ‘begged’ Rocklin school board not to pass parent notification policy, emails show,” (sacbee.com, Nov. 16)
I attended the Sept. 6 meeting of the Rocklin Unified School Board. If I had a dozen bullhorns, I still couldn’t have influenced the four board votes in favor of the notification policy. Although they received hundreds of emails asking them not to adopt the policy, their words and actions revealed they had already made their decision.
Whether you support or oppose the policy, it’s concerning that these officials ignored so many in the community they were elected to serve. These board members represent voters — they do not rule over them.
Two Rocklin Unified Board Members who voted “yes” on this policy can be defeated next year. Federal and state elections draw the most attention, but local officials have the greatest impact on our daily lives. Always vote down the ballot.
Barbara Smith
Auburn
Wrong priorities
“Sacramento to inspect garbage cans for food waste,” (sacbee.com, Nov. 7)
Once again, we see a ridiculous overreach by our government who continue to go after law-abiding citizens and ignore the big issues that plague our society. Digging through my trash to see if I misplaced a lettuce leaf is going to solve nothing.
Why not focus on issues that make a difference in our quality of life? Address the homeless issue that is ruining our neighborhoods and damaging our environment. The focus is always on easy issues. Meanwhile, the hard issues get kicked down the road. You really want to protect the environment? Get rid of the homeless camps along the rivers and other waterways.
Douglas Grass
Sacramento
