Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Thomas Straka
President Trump has a good point on California wildfires
The Hill reported on President TrumpDonald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE’s recent interview where the causes of California wildfires were discussed. Trump downplayed climate change as a cause and, instead, stressed poor management of state forests.
Perdue has found the right path in National Forests Original
Last June, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny PerdueGeorge (Sonny) Ervin PerdueDemocrats seek clarity on payroll tax deferral for federal workers USDA extending free meals for kids through end of the year if funding allows after criticism US cheddar cheese in Europe's trade mousetrap MORE announced a plan to modernize the Forest Service, “a blueprint for reforms to further provide relief from burdensome regulations, improve customer service and boost the productivity of our National Forests...
Wildfires and public lands aren't America's only forestry problem
Wildfires and contentious public land policy in the American West, sparking debate about climate change and forest management practices on public timberlands, seem to be the only forestry issues in the news. This suggests that problems with America’s forests are centered on federal land ownerships. Actually, forests owned by average folks are more likely to be a future problem. Lots of regular people own forests.
Do the Western national forests need to be liabilities?
The national forests are valuable assets, but we have turned them into liabilities. The annual cost of fighting wildfires on federal lands, much of those national forests, is measured in billions. Counties near the national forests used to receive a portion of timber sale receipts; now, since little timber is harvested, Congress funds a program to support rural schools and infrastructure in those counties, which is measured in hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
The Arb wins an Oscar
As UW Arboretum heads into the fall burn season, we rediscovered a piece sent to Isthmus by Thomas J. Straka, a forestry professor at Clemson University in South Carolina. While studying forestry at UW-Madison, Straka spent much time at the Arboretum and he wants our readers to know about the Arb’s role in the Oscar-winning documentary, The Vanishing Prairie (available at Amazon.com).
OPINION: Southern Timber Prices May Be Low, But It Is A Little More Complicated Than Too Many Trees
Recent consternation and turmoil over lower timber prices in the South are justified for forest owners trying to sell timber in some markets across the region. The case made by The Daily Caller’s Tim Pearce and others in the national press is that forest owners spent big bucks to plant trees decades ago with the idea that timber was a safe investment that would support a retirement or pay future college tuition.
Many blame climate change for the wildfire problem, but it's more than that
ANALYSIS/OPINION:As wildfires became an increasing and more costly problem over the last few decades, the Forest Service has been required to fund wildfire suppression activities by borrowing from other parts of its budget, curtailing other important forest management activities, including reducing small timber and brush levels in forest stands that made them more susceptible to wildfires.
History repeating itself in West
President Donald Trump seems inclined to repeat mistakes of past presidents; now, perhaps, access to natural resources by extraction-oriented special interests may be another. This goes beyond the resizing of national monuments to a new openness to oil, gas and coal leasing on public lands. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has recommended Gold Butte National Monument be reduced in size and made no recommendation for Basin and Range National Monument.
Thomas J. Straka: Nevada forests: Seldom out of sight but often slighted
I travel to Nevada once or twice a year and it's not for the gambling. As a forester I love Nevada's beautiful forests. It would be impossible to climb up to a bristlecone pine stand, for example, back in my home state. Several decades ago I first flew into Nevada late at night and awoke in a hotel room that faced a mountain range, covered by thousands of trees. It was not what I was expecting and I've been fascinated by the state's forests since.
Op-ed: National monuments debate isn’t new - it's déjà vu
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recently recommended resizing and changing allowable uses on some national monuments as part of a review ordered by President Trump, who is likely to implement the contentious recommendations. Let me summarize the story. When the president left the White House, after reserving millions of acres of mainly Western federal lands, many thought he had overreached his authority by eliminating vast expanses from potential development.
Sell-off of East Edisto tract causing ‘forest fragmentation’
The Post and Courier’s John McDermott reported on more than 12,000 acres of forestland being acquired by a “solid conservationist” (Land deal by South Carolina video chain pioneer provides ‘happy ending,’ Aug. 6).
The state of US forests: Six questions answered
Editor’s note: The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, catalyzed a wave of laws to protect the environment and natural resources. Here Thomas Straka, a professor of forest economics and management and former industrial forester, answers questions about the current state of U.S. forests.1. How forested is the United States? Here’s a surprising fact about our increasingly urbanized nation: About one-third of it is forested.
The state of US forests: Six questions answered
Editor’s note: Thomas Straka is a professor of forest economics and management and former industrial forester. Here he answers questions about the current state of U.S. forests.1. How forested is the United States? Here’s a surprising fact about our increasingly urbanized nation: About one-third of it is forested. Forests have an enormous impact on our water resources, economy, wildlife, recreational activities and cultural fabric.
The state of US forests: Six questions answered
The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, catalyzed a wave of laws to protect the environment and natural resources. Here Thomas Straka, a professor of forest economics and management and former industrial forester, answers questions about the current state of U.S. forests. 1. How forested is the United States? Here’s a surprising fact about our increasingly urbanized nation: About one-third of it is forested.
6 Questions About the State of U.S. Forests
Editor's note: The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, catalyzed a wave of laws to protect the environment and natural resources. Here, Thomas Straka, a professor of forest economics and management and former industrial forester, answers questions about the current state of U.S. forests. 1. How forested is the United States? Here's a surprising fact about our increasingly urbanized nation: About one-third of it is forested.
Murphy’s Law and Yucca Mountain
The argument by Robert Land and William E. Brown Jr. that “Tourists won’t want to come to a radioactive Las Vegas” (Las Vegas Sun, March 29) centers on an important issue. However, tourists aren’t that bright. Those would be the same tourists who came to Las Vegas to view atomic bomb tests. A letter to the editor the same day, ”We won’t fall for the Yucca joke,” noted that South Carolina would love to donate nuclear waste stored at our Savannah River Site to Yucca Mountain.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Thomas
Contact Thomas, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack