May be some and some Pete . Below is pasted a comment made by a local.
I know this area, this slope, and the range above it. It has all been clearcut at different points. To act like this is a slide-prone are is ludicrous. THe entire state wherever there is glacial till, is a slide-prone area, but what keeps it together is trees. The roundtop mountain top above this area has been clearcut bald. Areas directly to the west and above where this land gave way were clearcut within the last 20 years. The area along the river, which slid before was bare before 2003? Why is that? Because it was probably clearcut after years of selective cutting by loggers who used to not clearcut because they knew it destroyed the viability of the area.
Logging criminals are out of control in the USA, and for Nat Geo to not call it as it is, is a sure sign that they were bought out by moneyed interests and not what they used to be, a source of truth.
Bob
The hilltop I live on was logged over 150 years ago. MAYBE there are 5 or 10% of the trees here now that were present back then...the rest is houses, blacktop and concrete. And yet the hillside hasn't slid 'since forever'. Why would THAT be? I'll tell you exactly why - the makeup of the land...hardpan and hard ROCK for the most part. THAT and the fact storm sewers now carry rainwater away that would otherwise COLLECT in the ground
no matter the SIZE or number of trees present. If enough rain falls,
no matter WHAT, at some point the trees, etc., are NOT going to be able to hold all the water and a side will result, plain and simple.
The "local's" comments in the above quote are CLEARLY the musings of an anti-logging greenie: "...Because it was
PROBABLY clearcut after years of selective cutting by loggers"..."Logging
CRIMINALS are out of control in the USA..."..."...for Nat Geo to not call it as it is, is a
SURE SIGN that they were
BOUGHT OUT out by moneyed interests".
'Agenda much?
Now, knowing the geological makup of the subject area (and I DO), would I have built a home in what's now the slide area? NOPE. 'Far as I'm concerned it's as risky to build THERE as it is to build in the Denny regrade area in Seattle...and for almost the same reasons. Neither would I build near a river bank (or in any designated "flood plain" area). Neither would I own property/build in New Orleans.
It all boils down to common sense, people.
'Just MHO...
(Edit: BTW, the hill I live on HOLDS BACK the waters of a 12 mile long, 1.5 max width LAKE! It's all that stands between the lake and the town below it. IOW, it's a naturally occurring DAM...and it's 'held' since the Ice Age. Mull that one over!)