harvesting the dying Mother Trees, might be compelled to leave a portion behind to take care of the young, not merely their own but those of their neighbors too. In the wake of diebacks from droughts, beetles, budworms, and fires, the timber industry has been cutting vast swaths of forest, the clear-cuts coalescing over whole watersheds, entire valleys mowed down. The dead trees have been considered a fire risk, but more likely a convenient commodity.
