Stop Oakland Clearcutting

To Mayor Libby Schaaf and all members of the Oakland City Council:
We request you stand up for the community, the environment, the trees and all the animals who live in the urban forest. Clear-cutting pine, eucalyptus and acacia and then dousing the hills with TOXIC herbicides is a bad idea. Species neutral fire prevention, backed by good science that focuses on ground fuels is where FEMA money should go.

Keep in mind that:

Killing thousands of trees would destroy the healthy and beautiful ecosystem in the hills
Destroying the natural balance and habitat of squirrels, owls, raptors, and other wild animals is bad
More than 12,000 people sent in individual comments against the faulty FEMA plan
Non-native plants should not be removed at taxpayer expense
Grassland is much more flammable than a mature, drought tolerant forest.
Killing trees will result in landslides, erosion and the destruction of the healthy urban forest root network
Poisoning the land, creeks and watershed with tons of toxic herbicides will kill various species and end up in the San Francisco Bay
Herbicides are toxic to children, dogs, pets, pregnant women and adults
The current FEMA plan would increase global warming by releasing enormous amounts of sequestered carbon
The diesel logging trucks would pollute the air as they drive in and out of the killing fields
We request you endorse another fire plan that is species neutral to prevent fire. The current project would actually increase the risk of wildfire rather than reduce it as FEMA had intended and would waste taxpayer funds.
Sincerely,