Douglas Gantenbein says that much of the Bush forestry plan comes from Wally Covington (Does that name sound familiar? See below). The trouble is, Covington focuses on ponderosa pine forests, which don't regenerate well after destructive wildfires, but millions of acres of Western forests also have in them other tree species, many of which are genetically programmed to turn into a pile of ashes every 100 years or so.

But Gantenbein also claims that encouraging big logging would be incredibly shortsighted, because across much of the West, prosperity arrived only when the logging stopped. Logging towns are now flourishing as well-off retirees and energetic high-tech entrepreneurs swap big cities for a view of mountains and forest and a chance to fly-fish or mountain bike.

So what's Gantenbein saying: we should encourage these lifestyles of well-off retirees and high-tech entrepreneurs at the expense of the forests?