Other Views ignores several critical issues

Kudos to Nick Smith (Other View: American Forest Resource Council, Sept. 28) for acknowledging climate change contributes to our wildfire risk. This represents progress since the timber industry has consistently opposed efforts to address the climate crisis that reduce state emissions of climate pollution or encourage carbon storage in our forests.

Unfortunately, Smith also perpetuates the standard timber industry myth that the problem is public land management (especially U.S. Forest Service management) and argues for reducing environmental review of potential management proposals.

Regrettably, Smith ignores several critical issues:

• Tree plantations on commercial timberland play a larger role in promoting severe wildfire than is acknowledged.
• Fires crossing jurisdictional boundaries primarily originate on private property despite the vast area that is Forest Service land. Indeed, few of the most destructive wildfires, those resulting in the loss of more than 50 structures, originate on Forest Service land.
• Abundant evidence suggests timber harvesting is the greatest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon, surpassing even transportation, thus increasing our risk.

Meanwhile, despite what the timber industry claims, harvesting trees isn’t stopping catastrophic wildfires.

We should understand that the increasing wildfire problem we face is not driven by U.S. Forest Service mismanagement. Rather, it is driven largely by three factors:

(1) the historic winter wet / summer dry climate that dries soils and vegetation annually generates fire risk

(2) fire suppression increasing fuel load, and

(3) climate change driven by our release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, to which timber harvesting contributes.

Alan Journet, co-facilitator, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now

Lack of concern over lamprey deaths

I felt compelled to send a letter after reading the recent article in which ODFW was described as “mulling” the idea of fines for the lamprey kill below Winchester Dam.

I find it highly insulting that ODFW, and other state agencies involved, appear to lack genuine concern over the loss of life and are only now reacting to an issue the public was against from the beginning. If any one person committed such an egregious act, they would most certainly be held accountable immediately, including the possibility of being arrested and charged with a crime.

I hope that the citizens and officials in the Rogue Valley, and throughout the United States, want to hold the contracted company responsible for their actions which resulted in the fish kill as well as those individuals in multiple state agencies that were negligent in offering this contract while maintaining very little oversight.

Wesley White / La Grande

County commission doesn’t reflect population

Jackson County was established in 1852, when it included what are currently Josephine and Curry counties. When the first officials were appointed in 1853, including three commissioners, the population was fewer than 4,000. We still have the same number today though the county has grown to well over 200,000 residents, more than a 50-fold increase. The current population is not only far greater, but far more diverse, a feature not reflected in the composition of the commission.

Given the current partisan nature of the election of commissioners, nonaligned voters often incorrectly identified in Oregon as independent have no input into who the candidates will be since these are determined during the May election when registered Democrats and Republicans select their party nominees. In contrast, nonpartisan races are elected in that May election when all registered voters may participate.

The current salary of Jackson County commissioners is $146,416, while that of the Oregon governor is $93,600. This seems unreasonable. By dividing the total commissioner salary amount by five instead of three, thus bringing it more in line with other Oregon counties, the increase in commission number will not result in increased cost to the county treasury.

For these reasons, Jackson County for All of Us is seeking signatures to place three initiatives on the 2024 county ballot:

(1) Jackson County commissioners to be nonpartisan

(2) Increase the number of commissioners

(3) Decrease the salaries of county commissioners

Residents interested in supporting this effort should visit Jackson County for All of Us at www.jacksoncountyforall.org/

Trisha Vigil / Medford