Missed One 

Editor:

A story that I think should've made the Top 10 Stories list (Dec. 28) but didn't is last winter's storms. January's windstorm and February's snowstorm literally altered the landscape of vast swaths of the county. Tens of thousands of trees were knocked down by the wind, and perhaps millions of understory trees (mostly tan oaks) and ferns were subsequently flattened by the snow. Any walk or drive through the county's inland forests illustrates the widespread impacts of these events, the effects of which will be felt for years to come. There are trails in Humboldt Redwoods State Park and Redwood National Park that are closed indefinitely due to the damage. Whether these storms were a direct consequence of human-induced climate change is impossible to say, but it is certain that climate change makes such events more likely and more frequent, so these storms can and should be considered a harbinger of things to come.

What story to take out to make room for this one? Jeffery Woodke's release, albeit a story with a happy ending, has no real bearing on the county and does not belong here.

Ken Burton, McKinleyville