Forest Thinning Isn’t Forest Restoration

Most of the “news” that we are seeing on wildfires tends to support a pro-logging narrative.

Everywhere we turn, we hear that our forests are overstocked, due to decades of fire suppression, and that therefore, we need to get in there and practice “forest thinning.”

In truth, forest thinning is another word for logging. Logging opens up the forest canopy, exposing it to sun and wind. Logging removes calories and nutrients from the forest, starving the forest ecosystem, compacting the soil, making the forest less of a buffer against flooding and drought.

Forests are also among the best storehouses of carbon, if we allow them to grow and thrive, but not if we constantly thin them out, for profit.

Logging companies know how to plan way ahead and infuse their deceptive narratives into every conceivable media outlet, as well as government agencies and university-based colleges of “forestry” (i.e., logging).

One of the most persistent myths is that when European settlers first gazed upon the North American continent, they were greeted by forests that were “open and parklike.”

In this article, George Wuerthner deals capably with this pro-industry myth, and shows us how our western forests were often quite dense.

The Myth Of “Most Western Forests Were Open and Park-like”

Wuerthner also explains how, contrary to industry propaganda, our western forests DID experience infrequent, high-intensity wildfires, which guided their evolution and defined their current needs.

In other words, contrary to the mythology, our (mixed conifer) forests (in the West) do NOT need frequent, low-intensity fire in the form of prescribed fire, aka, controlled burns.

Mixed conifer forests account for about 85% of western forests. They tend to be medium elevation, as opposed to the ponderosa pine forests in the low elevations and the lodgepole pine forests in the high elevations.

If you would like to continue this conversation, please check out my upcoming course that starts in September.

George Wuerthner is a special guest speaker, as well as other distinguished experts in wildfire and forest ecology, such as Dr. Chad Hanson and Dr. Richard L. Hutto.

Wildfires Mythology vs. Reality – Fall 2026 - Biodiversity for a Livable Climate

https://bio4climate.org/course-offerings/wildfires-fact-fiction-fall-2026/