Cutting the trees when we need them is very thoughtless. The soil will dry out increasing the risk of fire. Trees hold water. Also the gaps in the trees will allow wind to pass through more rapidly so if there is a fire it will spread more quickly. Last but not least, the fire mitigating efforts so far have left the community wondering about the tax payer dollars wasted. Federal tax dollars are still taxdollars. To devastate huge tracts of land in the name of fire mitigation may appeal to the logging industry, but they have left unsightly messes. What I don't understand is how leaving dead trees standing and heaps of slash on the ground is going to prevent fires. There is a level of insanity at work here that beggars belief.