You've obviously never been in a national forest when a thining project is underway.
I was in Mesa Verde national Park 2 years ago.
The park service was thining. Even then, it was extreemly dry in Colorado.
And the trees were not being "logged". It was a legitimate fire reduction strategy.
I'm sure the environmental activists wouldn't be happey with the pruning, but then the Archeologists would be upset if the Cliff Dwelling ruins were destroyed by fire.
Its a simple trade-off.