Blaming the City of Salem misses the point. Protecting a watershed is more than just saving habitat for trees and fish. Yes, protecting our forests is necessary to stop the loss of critical habitat for our declining wild salmon runs. But protecting a watershed is also about saving habitat for human health and safety. Municipal watersheds, in particular, illustrate the vital human connection to the natural environmental, especially when those watersheds are muddied by clearcuts.
Clear cutting is an expensive forestry tool.
Sure, it costs less to get the trees out. But the real expense comes later-in restoration, in lost habitat, in disrupted ecosystems. With the rainy season upon us, we've already seen the terrifying loss of human life as slides from clearcuts crash through homes and highways, while simultaneously putting our drinking water at risk. Water is a fundamental element in life. I recently read an illustration that conveys how important and how difficult it is to get clean water.