The Trump administration wants to clear 11,000 miles of fire fuel breaks across public lands in six Western states as a way to control giant wildfires.
But wildfire experts are mixed on the viability of the plan, the government’s own scientific agency calls it a “grand experiment,” and environment groups are strongly opposed.
The draft plan published in June involves clearing swathes as wide as 500 feet along existing unpaved primitive roads and other rights of way through sagebrush and pinyon and juniper woodlands in order to help firefighters control rangeland wildfires and slow their spread.
Under the BLM’s ...