Save old growth ponderosa pine trees in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  Our beloved forest in the Black Hills is being pillaged by the greed of the timber industry.  They are harvesting our old growth and most valuable trees right out from under the public's knowledge by deceiving them into believing that they must remove our older trees due to threat of fire and of pine beetles.  Though there is a threat of both of these hazards, there is no reason whatsoever, other than their greed, to take the valuable old-growth trees.  These trees are owned by the public.  They are ours!  Please help us save them from the greed of the timber industry!

This is not the fault of the Forest Service. Current logging on the Black Hills National Forest is not driven by the Forest Service; they've been over-ruled by the timber industry and politicians who strongly advocate for more and more logging. While helping themselves to the merchantable product and knowing what comes back to the forest in return will not be enough to mitigate the damage, they take what will not be here again for more than 100 years and put our livelihoods and futures in jeopardy.

Old ponderosa pines are resistant to surface fire, provide food and habitat for wildlife, and are a source of genetic continuity for the forest.  They are aesthetically attractive and they are an intrinsic part of the beautiful, dynamic landscape that draws millions of people to the Black Hills.

Old studies as to whether or not old growth trees would benefit from thinning undergrowth and limiting the amount of trees per acre suggested that old growth trees didn't respond to aggressive thinning.

However, a newer study (published in 2009) performed by forestry researchers at Oregon State University has found that "old-growth ponderosa pine, even trees more than 250 years old, can increase their growth, improve their health and respond quickly to thinning that provides the trees with more water."

What we need to do to save our old-growth trees is to use a combination of mechanical thinning and controlled fire.  According to the aforementioned study, thinning by fire resulted in park-like settings of 12-35 huge ponderosa pine trees per acre, with very little underbrush or other trees.

The study stated that trees 300-500 years old thrived and those healthy ecosystems supported a broad range of other plants, grasses and wildlife species that were associated with these park-like old-growth conditions.

Residents of South Dakota, who live in the Black Hills, depend on the health of our forest.  We have home values and businesses that rely on the beauty of the ponderosa pine trees, the older they are, the more beautiful our forest is, and the more tourists and outdoor enthusiasts we will have visiting our vacation homes, our restaurants, our stores and our other activities.

Our businesses bring more income and tax dollars to the state of South Dakota than the timber industry does, so if money is the only thing our politicians are considering, than they are supporting the wrong business. 

Please beware of other petitions that are being generated by the timber industry.  They are misleading and if the timber industry wins this fight, we will all lose!