Douse the torch
Even if fires are inevitable in many wild lands, and even if they are beneficial to many ecosystems, there are plenty of reasons to control them, says Stephen Pyne, a historian of fire at Arizona State University. He should know -- he wrote "World Fire" and "Introduction to Wildland Fire" -- see the bibliography.
The Boundary Fire, which burned in northeast Oregon
during August 1994. &169; Photo by Ric Balfour, Oregon Department of Forestry.
- Air pollution regulations are getting so tight, says Pyne, that "Some cities are banning leaf blowers." Under those circumstances, he asks, "are you going to burn 10 million acres of forest? What will happen when the smoke starts drifting down into those cities?"
- Some landscapes that used to burn regularly are now covered with relatively non-flammable vegetation, like pinyons and junipers.
- The lumber industry fears that trees will be damaged by fire before they can be logged.
- Homeowners fear their houses will get torched in controlled burns that get out of control.
- Finally, the courts could be clogged with lawsuits by property owners, asthmatics, and others who felt they were harmed by controlled burns.
BTW -- readers in dry areas -- you are going to be sane with the fireworks, right? Some states have already banned them, for fear of touching off more fires.
Here are the people who burned the midnight oil to tell you about forest fires.
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(Glossary | Bibliography)
