We are living through an unprecedented fire season and editorial pages are overloaded with comments. Although many express appreciation, regrettably they are overshadowed by those that are negative, point fingers and polarize.
Loggers blame the fires on the failure to log public lands. Environmental groups counter by claiming that much of the blame rests with past logging practices aggravated by the adverse impacts of climate change. Old time fire fighters blame it on abandoning the “10:00 A.M. policy” and being overly cautious in attacking fire starts. Home owners are critical of firefighting tactics and allege incompetence by public land managers. Perhaps most offensively, some of our elected officials have used the misfortune, hype and emotion associated with this year’s fire season to promote the political agendas of deregulation, weakening environmental laws and advocating that we can log our way out of our state’s fire crisis. None of this blame game helps solve the problem.
Most of these examples share a common thread – they are overly simple, biased and self-serving. The cause and effect of fire’s impacts on people and property are much more complex than those expressed in editorial columns. Today there are more and greater complications associated with wildfires, fire prevention and fire suppression than in prior decades. Our forests are accumulating dangerously high levels of fuels. Climate change and the associated hotter, drier and lengthier fire seasons exacerbate the situation. Over the years we have learned more about the ecological benefits of fire and no longer view all fires as necessarily bad. Adding to the complexity, the public is increasingly concerned over how forests are managed. All of us are concerned about fire fighter safety.
The interaction of these and other fire related factors often lead to unexpected impacts on public and private lands. Sometimes thinned forests reduce fire severity and sometimes they do not. Sometimes weather events intensify fires and sometimes they do not. Sometimes the effective fire suppression tactics of the past don’t work or are no longer accepted by a more informed and involved public. With the increased frequency of unusual fire behavior, firefighting agencies have become more cautious when sending crews into questionably dangerous situations. These uncertainties have led to using more deliberate and delayed fire suppression tactics.
Is there a way out of this predicament? Certainly we should have empathy for those who are most directly affected. These are very difficult times for anyone involved. However, we should avoid jumping on the band wagon, playing the blame game and placing total responsibility on single factors, individuals or groups. We should avoid jumping to conclusions. Most of us can do no more than speculate and second guess what is really going on.
Like it or not, we need to trust the professionals – the well trained and experienced men and women of our land management and fire suppression agencies. They are the most capable folks to handle fire emergencies. They are working in dangerous conditions and cannot afford to be distracted by our accusations and complaints. Assertions of agency incompetence or grand standing for political advantage have no place during a campaign fire when the potentially devastating effects of wildfire are bearing down on people and their property.
The time to deal with wildfires is before they start. We must accept that future fires are inevitable and strive to make progress on those things that will minimize the probability of catastrophic events. We need to accept that each event is unique, but that answers do exist. Most workable solutions should include properly planned timber harvest and fuels treatment, judicious use of prescribed fire and, to the extent possible, protecting and fireproofing areas important for recreation, ecological diversity, wildlife habitat and private property.
How can we do this? Although there are numerous potential solutions, land owners, local residents, agency personnel and government officials need to be at the table in order to find the one that works best for everyone. Everyone involved needs to work collaboratively and come up with options that minimize risk of wildfire while benefitting property owners, the general public and the environment. Ideally, once a course of action is adopted, everyone should be committed to seeing it succeed. It’s critical to invite and keep all stakeholders involved. Only then can we have an idea of what to expect from forest management and agency actions. Only then will we see real progress. We will all be better off when all interests are represented, have an opportunity to provide their perspectives and are confident that their input is considered. If we take this approach, there should be no surprises and little reason for us to blame or criticize other groups or government agencies during our next big fire.
Skip Kowalski
Stevensville