by Ed Sperry, Col USAF (ret), Stevensville
As I am writing, fires are raging in LA. Years of failure to manage the forests of California finally resulted in disaster. Ask yourself – could it happen here? Maybe we should consider looking in the mirror when scoffing and feeling sorry for them damned folks in California. I’m a total amateur when it comes to managing a forest, but surely there is still a place for good old common sense.
We all know the forest west of Highway 93 is loaded for bear with unwanted growth and subject to extreme fire danger. Every year we endure some proof of this. The fire we enjoyed just west of Stevi last year being a perfect example. Just consider that fire and what would have happened if a strong south wind had occurred. After 50 years in the valley I can tell you we have extreme winds every now and then. I understand there is a plan to clean up the front. Unfortunately, I don’t see any evidence that it will ever get past the delaying tactics of the tree huggers, Fools of the Bitterroot and others of their ilk. We must get past these obstacles or the day will surely come when we will have our equivalent of the LA fires and disaster. I don’t see endless committee meetings, excuses and argument will get it done. Somehow we must find a way to set the delays aside and get the job done.
I suggest we give this some emergency attention. Perhaps a team effort by Commissioner Chilcott and Representative Zinke could break the log jam. The issue seems to be a natural for both of them. I urge you to sound off. What do you think? Otherwise, things will drift along with the glacial rate of our bureaucracy.
Carlotta Grandstaff says
One-third of California’s land area, or 33 million acres, is forested. Of that, 57% is managed by the US Forest Service; businesses, individuals and tribes own about 40% and the state of California owns and manages 3%, so clearly, the state of California has very little of its forested acreage under its control. When the fires started, Southern California had not seen any rain in eight months. The dry Santa Ana winds, blowing in off the hot, dry desert, were ferocious this year, blowing as much as 90 and 100 mph, grounding firefighting helicopters and planes for the most critical days of the firestorm. The native chaparral and invasive eucalyptus went up like greasewood. Probably a more sensible solution lies in promotion of more fire wise land use planning and house building in fire-prone areas.
Yes, the west side of the Bitterroot is a major wildfire waiting to happen. I’ve spent many years hiking the trails there. The downfall on either side of virtually every trail is so thick as to be impenetrable. Maybe removing the deadfall would help. I’ve never seen a Forest Service logging proposal aimed at clearing the forest floor of combustible material since there’s no money in it for anyone. And with increasingly dry weather, both winter and summer, and long, relentlessly hot, dry summers, and with lack of funds from Congress to remove the many millions of tons of deadfall on one, single national forest, I’d say this is a problem not even the collective brilliance of Chilcott and Zinke could solve.
Gomez says
Trump has the solution, water the tumbleweeds.
“We wanna do that (water the forests and other dry areas) Every once in a while. And you just think it’s ridiculous, when you have, you have, like, just about as much water as anybody in the country, and we shouldn’t be in a position where you have tumbleweed that’s dry as a bone, that even tumbleweed can be nice and green and rich and loaded up with water and it’s not gonna burn, you don’t even have to remove it, it’s not gonna burn, but it’s just dry. So I hope you can all get together and say I’m so happy with the water that’s gonna be flowing down because, I just don’t see anything, they talk about the delta smelt, which is a fish that’s this big, but it is, it is really not, does it have to be protected because it’s in other areas, it’s in other areas.”
Donald Trump
In case you wanted to know how it’s going.
Mike Miller says
And what solution does california have?
Clark P Lee says
moron
Mike Miller says
Of all the many Veterans in this valley, why is Ed the only one who feels the self-important need to always push his former alleged rank?
Tracy says
LOL Just the way he rolls. And he gets that 96K per year retirement.
Mike Miller says
Whatever rank he achieved and however long he was in he risked his life to get it, putting his country (you included) over himself.
To me, you sound cynical and like someone who never worn a set of combat boots and made that sacrifice. If that’s true, and you think it’s a lot, run right down to the nearest recruiting office and sign up for it.
Tracy says
We had a really strong North wind during that fire and no disaster. Just saying. The Forest Circus milked Sharrot and the 2 fires in Skalkaho for all they were worth. If you have timber it is going to burn at some point. Yes it is important to keep things clean and yes they also do that with fire too. I get tired of smoke every year however most of what we have had for the past several years has come from out of state. These things are going to happen in the interface areas especially in homeowners dont keep their properties clean and clear of debris. Life in the ROOT!