Burning Down The Facts – It Doesn’t Take A Purist To Know Which Way The Wind Blows

South Jersey Times Editors Don’t Know the Difference Between Burning And Logging

People Who Seek To Protect Bears And Trees Are Mocked As “Purists”

So this is what the newspaper business has devolved to: editorial writers who don’t know the difference between a “prescribed burn” and a logging plan.

Actually, it is possible that they do know the difference and just intentionally lied to their readers to hide the fact that the Murphy DEP is logging precious Pinelands forests.

We always knew south Jersey was backwards, but not this bad.

I guess South Jersey Times’ (ignorant, cynical and cruel) editorial writers thought they were being cute with this December 7 editorial:

• N.J. purists, and fires, and bears, oh my | Editorial

A separate plan to burn as many as 2.3 million trees in the Pinelands to prevent uncontrolled fires in a thickly covered portion of Bass River State Forest within the preserve also has detractors, though not as many.

Environmental groups are split as to the wisdom of a controlled burn next year. […]

The Pinelands Commission — not always the best stewards of the pristine and protected property — voted overwhelmingly in favor of the burning plan in October,

“Controlled Burn” “Burn Plan”?

The editorial uses the word “burn” to describe the DEP logging plan 10 times!

The DEP is cutting the trees (logging) not burning them.

I fired off this letter, which I’m sure they’ll be too embarrassed to print (or to correct their fact errors):

Dear Editor:

Embarrassing fact error riddled editorial, Oh my!

Your Editorial of December 7 confused “prescribed burns” with logging.

The DEP Pinelands forest plan will LOG (i.e. CUT) 2.4 million trees, not burn them.

You also left out some key facts, too, like:

Pinelands Commissioner Wallner, a retired *National Park Service wildfire expert, reviewed the DEP maps and found no people or property near the logging & 13 miles of clearcut firebreak. He concluded that there was no justification for the DEP plan in terms of reducing wildfire risks.

Big wildfires in the Pinelands are caused by dry conditions and high winds. They are spread by wind blown embers. DEP’s logging and “firebreak” will do NOTHING to stop wind blown embers from spreading wildfire in dry and high wind conditions.

The DEP logging plan will make these conditions WORSE. Cutting trees will reduce the canopy cover, allowing more sunlight and wind into the forest. This dries them out and makes them more prone to fire.

Anyone who has blown on a campfire or tried starting one with wet wood knows this.

But not DEP  – Oh my!

Respectfully,

Bill Wolfe