Public lands are priceless: Stop the Roadless Rule Repeal

To the Editor:

While spending recent would-be beautiful Northwoods weeks indoors because of Canadian wildfire smoke, I have been thinking about Representative Tom Tiffany’s letter to Canada’s US ambassador.

He wrote, “In our neck of the woods, summer months are the best time of the year to spend time outdoors recreating, enjoying time with family, and creating new memories.” On that point, I agree completely —though I believe his complete letter was a humiliation. What I don’t understand is, how can someone praise our Northwoods summers in one breath, then work to dismantle the policies that protect them?

Representative Tiffany has done nothing to oppose the Trump Administration’s intention to repeal the Roadless Rule, a move that would leave major portions of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest susceptible to industrial-scale logging, road building, and other extraction. The Roadless Rule repeal would not only degrade our beautiful Northwoods landscapes, which are the backbone of our tourism economy, it would also increase taxpayer costs for road maintenance, destroy local ecosystems, and put us at risk of starting our own wildfires.

Supporters of the repeal say it will reduce wildfire risk, but the facts say otherwise. Studies show that wildfires are far more likely to start in areas with roads and over 90 percent of wildfires are caused by humans.

The wildfires that have plagued Wisconsin summers in recent years are the result of industrial logging, natural fire suppression, and dry climates exacerbated by climate change. If Representative Tiffany wants to prevent more wildfires, why is he supporting policies that are proven to exacerbate them?

To all residents, visitors, and various other passersby of the Northwoods: how much do you really care about these woods? Now is the time to advocate for policies that benefit all those who enjoy our public lands, not those that enrich the pockets of mining and logging companies. Tom Tiffany might be bought, but anyone who’s spent any time in the Northwoods must know: public lands are priceless. 

Lisa Kennedy

Rhinelander