It's ok to clear cut the forest...to protect an endangered butterfly

Protecting endangered species in West Michigan may also help put people back to work, U.S. Forest Service officials hope. The Huron-Manistee National Forest received $600,000 in grants from the Environmental Protection Agency to protect endangered species and root out invasive plants, Forest Service spokesman Ken Arbogast said. The biggest change from the grant will involve converting more forest land into savannah to protect the endangered Karner blue butterfly, Arbogast said. That means removing trees and turning up the soil to plant wild lupine in the White River area of Oceana County. “It's the only plant the Karner blue butterfly uses,” he said. The Forest Service already had a plan to clear cut up to 3,500 acres of forest, Arbogast said, but the additional federal money will allow more land to be converted. How much more is difficult to say because the focus will be on areas near existing Karner blue populations, he said. The converted areas will be open to people, but closed to off-road vehicles...more

The Forest Service will clear cut trees and rip up the soil to protect a butterfly.  They can't, however, saw off a branch or remove a pebble if the primary beneficiary is a human.