In southern California forest officials back culling trees. Locals are furious

The measure could curb the wind-driven wildfires in the region, but critics want a deeper assessment

That tree is dead. That tree is dead - we are too late for them," Greg Thomson, the forester for Los Padres national forest says, as he traipses through a dense patch of conifers clustered on a peak overlooking Ventura county. Pine needles and yellowed grass crunch beneath his boots as he points to giant spiny tree skeletons with thick trunks.

These trees, he says, were victims of the drought, beetle infestations and a changing climate on an overgrown landscape that has not seen a good fire in too long - and it's his job to do something about that.