To the editor: The Times' Aug. 21 article about rethinking forest management strategies rightly rebukes clear-cutting for removing the oldest, most fire-resistant trees. But it's not just that clear-cutting has "almost no benefits to the forests or to their surrounding communities." Clear-cutting results in tree plantations that burn faster and more intensely than the old-growth forests they replace. Because plantation trees are closely spaced with intertwining branches, they have a greater chance of spreading wildfires. During California's deadliest fire to date, the 2018 Camp fire, the blazes scorched through heavily logged areas with extreme speed and intensity. As the Camp fire demonstrates, logging forests doesn't stop fires, it actually makes towns like Paradise and Concow more susceptible to swift, wind-driven blazes. California should prohibit clear-cutting to protect its people and towns from future tragedies.