Logging Crossed Line Into Oso Landslide Zone

04:49

April 01, 2014

Seattle is known for rain, and the city just wrapped up its wettest March on record. Geologists say heavy rain in the Cascade Mountains northeast of Seattle was key in triggering the landslide that killed at least 21 people in the town of Oso last week.

But they say clearcutting nearby could also have worsened the risk of the hillside collapsing. From the Here & Now Contributors Network, John Ryan of KUOW reports.

Read more on this story via KUOW

Washington Department of Natural Resources image shows 2005 clear-cut (near dotted purple line) extending into no-logging zone (marked with yellow line) at site of Oso landslide. (Washington Department of Natural Resources)

Reporter

John Ryan, reporter for KUOW, Puget Sound Public Radio, in Seattle. He tweets @heyjohnryan.

This segment aired on April 1, 2014.