05/29/2026
PCEC's Sarah, Bethany, and Taylor met with Bear Creek Council and County Commissioner Mike Story at the site of the proposed Bear Palmer Forest Health (Logging) Project to get another look and a better understanding of what's at stake.
It was incredibly eye-opening to hear from locals who grew up here and have lived with the impacts of the first cuts made back in the 1960s. Getting that historical perspective from the people who actually watched the land change over decades is a reminder of why local voices matter so much.
* Photos 1-4: Being out here is a reminder of our shared community values: local voices provide vital perspective, and the more people who comment, the better. While we all agree that wildfires are inevitable and that w**d mitigation is absolutely essential, it remains confusing why heavy treatments are being proposed for intact, low-density forest areas. When it comes to protecting rural communities, home hardening and creating defensible space are still our best tools.
* Photos 5-8: A recent thinning project on nearby private land that crosses a public trail. As you can see, the remaining trees aren't very healthy. The smaller trees left behind struggle to provide shade or retain moisture, while the largest, most ecologically valuable trees were taken for commercial value.
Walking through here, the temperature difference was stark—these thinned areas felt incredibly hot and dry compared to parts of the forest with a diverse, intact understory. We are deeply concerned that creating these hotter, drier conditions will increase ignition risks, warm critical riparian areas, and compact the soil, reducing its capacity to hold water. Surprisingly, we also noticed that noxious w**ds had not been treated where the heaviest disturbance occurred.
The comment period has been extended to June 1 (this Monday!), and you can find out more about the project and how to comment on PCEC's website: https://www.pcecmt.org/stories/extended-comment-period-bear-palmer-forest-health-logging-project
