Readers React: After Rim fire, Sierra forests need human help

To the editor: California forests did “evolve to burn and recover,” but never after fires as large or as hot as the Rim fire last year. (“A logging plan even an environmentalist can love,” Editorial, Sept. 3)

As you point out, replanting is not natural. Neither are mega-fires caused by man’s suppression of fire for the last century. These high-intensity burns leave thousands of acres without a single tree left to reseed the forest.

If a wildlife species becomes endangered due to man’s actions, do we simply allow that species to recover on its own? I hope not, as this planet would be missing many of its most unique species today. Likewise, forests that have been mismanaged by man for so long no longer have the ability to recover naturally.

This is why we must replant areas so severely burned that inaction would result in the loss of forest land, with the associated negative impacts.

Jeff Oldson, McArthur, Calif.

The writer is a California registered professional forester.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion