heywouldya,
I am referring to fires in Northern California, where Sierra Pacific sprays oak and other broadleaf plants in order to improve growth in their pine plantations. In the forty-six thousand acre Fountain Fire burn there is now nothing but pine, except along the highway (which was not sprayed) where the deer now necessarily congregate in the evenings to browse and be struck by vehicles. More recently, SP sprayed their pine plantations near Hat Creek and killed all of the oak that had begun to regenerate. It used to be full of deer. Now there are none. There is a stark difference in vegetation where SP property meets Forest Services lands in this burn. The Federal lands have not been sprayed and every deer in the area has been forced onto them in order to find food. Granted, without attention, these will become dense thickets that will offer little hunting opportunity in a decade or two, but for now at least they are keeping our deer alive where they would otherwise starve. My complaint about private management is in no manner meant to condone the poor job done by Federal Agencies. Unfortunately, most people seem not to notice the difference. They see young pine trees growing and assume that the ecosystem is in repair. In reality, it might was well be a stand of telephone poles. Most hunters in my area are quick to criticize poor cougar management, but are completely oblivious to the larger picture. One would think that the Department of Fish and Game, which provides authorization to logging plans, would demand better rehabilitation on behalf of wildlife and hunters, but they appear clueless. As long as hunters are unaware of these practices, I have no doubt that DFG will continue to take the path of least resistance in this regard.