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Letter: The Bureau of Land Management harms our lands

(Al Hartmann | Tribune file photo) A hardy juniper tree lives in the arid grass and sage in the foothills east of Salt Lake City on Feb. 5, 2018.

According to his interview, Bureau of Land Management Acting Director William Pendley is proud to have removed hundreds of thousands of acres of old-growth pinyon-juniper woodlands in Utah. And he’s gunning for more.

Pendley seems to believe that only sagebrush “greeted the pioneers.” No, a variety of native ecosystems “greeted the pioneers” and sustained indigenous peoples. Old-growth pinyon-juniper forests are among these native ecosystems. They have been here for hundreds of years, surviving wildfires. They are resilient communities of native plants and animals.

But nope, they have to go. Pendley sends in huge machines to rip up the woodlands; he burns and poisons, destroying plants, animals and soil. A once healthy ecosystem has been obliterated. Cheatgrass and other flammable invasives can now move in. Reseeding often fails.

Mr. Pendley, each and every proposed removal project needs rigorous scientific evaluation, public scrutiny, and wise discrimination. Otherwise, we will needlessly lose priceless woodlands to a generalized take-'em-out policy.

Kristen Rogers-Iversen, Millcreek

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