If you're talking about the giant sequoias out in California, they're 3,000 years old. And political cycles tend to be two years, four years, six years or eight years. That, he says, makes it imperative to take the long view in managing forests. Dombeck says the national forests contributed to a timber boom after World War II, making America a society of single-family homes as servicemen and women came home. Now, he believes, there are other priorities.
People are concerned about outdoor recreation.
They're concerned about water. They're concerned about the spiritual values of forests. They're concerned about going out and walking in a wild land setting. That his birthplace remains a touchstone is no small matter. His career took him from postings in the Upper Peninsula to California's wine region to the nation's capital.