Trump and Newsom are on the same page about logging. That's not a good thing
In the name of wildfire prevention, both President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom are pushing for more logging through mechanisms that skirt environmental oversight, further degrading our forest ecosystems.
But thinning usually does more harm than good: It can accelerate fire spread by exposing the forest floor's fuels to sun drying and wind penetration; it significantly lowers carbon sequestration, putting more emissions into the atmosphere; and even the supposed benefits are less impactful in areas where vegetation can grow back quickly and there's a lack of old-growth trees.
Most importantly, thinning is often used as a pretext for commercial logging, targeting valuable trees instead of the more fire-prone vegetation. In this case, Trump wants to feed the timber lobby with more lumber, and Newsom has pushed an agenda of building a 'woody products' industry in California.
Neither has the environment's best interests at heart.
Jeff Zhou
Glendale
Opinion
'California forestry policies: A marriage of priorities?' (sacbee.com, April 24)
Forest management efforts must start on the local level by hardening communities, then work outward — not the other way around. Forest management should be science-based, not profit-based, with the net result of keeping carbon in the forests, preserving forest ecology and reducing climate change.
Experience with President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office shows that the voices of science and common sense are being muzzled. Remember the physician's motto: 'First, do no harm.'
Harry White
Roseville
'Why fossil fuel companies must pay for climate damages,' (sacbee.com, April 18)
The fossil fuel industry has made a fortune making me sick: My days in elementary school were spent in an environment full of lead from fossil fuel additives and smog — the pollution was so bad, outdoor physical exercise classes would be cancelled.
As a student at UC Santa Barbara, I saw the 1969 oil spill cover our pristine beaches. The fossil fuel industry told us that oil was a 'natural' component of the shoreline.
Years later, my father-in-law's home was lost in one of the Malibu fires, and my parents' home was destroyed in the 2018 Camp Fire.
It is time for the fossil fuel industry to be held accountable for its deceptions. Call your state representatives and demand they pass the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025.
Charles Williams
Cupertino
'Should Big Oil pay for California's climate disasters? You may pay at the pump,' (sacbee.com, April 10)
It was stunning to see state senators like Sacramento's Angelique Ashby give Big Oil a pass for causing the climate crisis now fueling today's insurance affordability crisis.
California's oil companies knew in the 1950s that burning fossil fuels was dangerous for our climate, but they greedily colluded to bury the truth and pioneer climate denial. Now, all of us face explosive costs — from more frequent and destructive wildfires to drought and flooding, all with fewer and more expensive insurance options to help pick up the pieces after disaster strikes.
Until oil companies pay their fair share, this trend won't end. Without affordable insurance, businesses will close, families won't get home mortgages and construction to develop our state stops.
Mary Creasman
CEO, California Environmental Voters
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