As the Gorge Commission updates the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area Management Plan, it needs to encourage the protection and expansion of forests in the area. Climate change is causing increased frequency and severity of forest fires and weakening the health of many trees, making them more susceptible to disease and infestation. Allowing people to build new structures in forested areas increases the risks of human-caused fires, endangering public safety and property, and exposes emergency responders to higher danger.
CO2 is the single largest contributor to climate change. Global CO2 levels have increased 47 percent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution with more than half that occurring since 1970. This increase is caused by human activities, such as deforestation, burning fossil fuels, producing cement, and making land-use changes. Trees absorb CO2 and exhale oxygen, which humans and other animals need to breathe and to live.
This is why the Gorge Plan should prevent the conversion of forest to residential and agricultural uses and should limit urban sprawl into forest lands.
