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Enviros Pan Local Forest Plan

Majestic old stands of pines, cedars and firs don’t have enough protections under the Idaho Panhandle National Forests’ draft management plan, according to environmental groups, who say the big trees need more safeguards. Old-growth stands, characterized by large-diameter trees and complex ecological systems, comprise about 10 percent of the forest. Environmental groups say forest managers should work toward reestablishing old-growth on 30 percent of the forest to reflect historic conditions. Instead, the draft plan for the 2.5 million-acre national forest gives managers the discretion to log existing old-growth trees, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Kootenai Environmental Alliance and other groups wrote in formal objection letters/Becky Kramer, SR. More here . (SR photo: A hiker scrambles up the granite talus above Harrison Lake in the Idaho Selkirk Mountains with Harrison Peak in the background)

Question: Does the Kootenai Environmental Alliance do a good job protecting the local environment?

* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "Huckleberries Online." Read all stories from this blog