[petuniasevan]

I lived very close to the Sierra Foothills some 12 years ago. The 1990 Tehama County Pine Creek Fire--the fifth largest wildfire in California history -- started as a pine tree blew against a PG&E high-tension power line, within sight of my backyard, and was out of control in minutes. It burned thousands of acres, some homes and cabins. It took 2 weeks to put it out.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily my own. I'm just the messenger.

[SuziQ]

Sir SuziQ and I were talking about this a couple of weeks ago. The best thing is for the undergrowth to burn off and kill some of the trees in order to thin the number of trees per acre. Folks don't like to hear that because so many have been building in those forests over the last 30 years or so. But if you keep putting the fires out and leave the undergrowth, they are actually the kindling for the really big fires!!

That's why the Forest Service tries to have controlled burns from time to time, to deny the big fire the fuel it needs.

[arthurus]

People living in fire zones would have to do preventive maintenance

I have read many times here on FR about people being penalized and threatened for doing this very thing, clearing dead brush,cutting fire trenches, etc, around their own homes, especially in California.

[B4Ranch]

Forest Service officials say 73 million acres, about 40 percent of all Forest Service land, are at risk of severe fires in coming years.

Does anyone have any idea how many protected animals and plants are in 73 million acres? Give the tree huggers and PETA a big hug when you see them.

Myself I'll give a whack in the crotch with my cane.

[ccmay]

"While Westerners are getting more educated about fire, there is still a kind of dangerous independence, one that resists all zoning and regulation, that exists among people who live in the fire zone," said Pat Williams, a former Montana congressman.

Dangerous independence? I like it. Dangerous to fat assed mealy mouthed politicans and may it ever be so!

-ccm

Dangerously Independent

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Well it is NOT lost on me that the "era of big fires" comes directly on the heels of Clinton's Forestry policies NOT to allow the removal of dead and downed lumber from existing National Forest and BLM land.

We have been fighting fires in forests for decades now and it is only after fruition of the misguided idiotic Forestry policies of the Clinton administration that we are seeing the worst fires in US history.

The Clinton administration failed on so many levels it is incomprehensible.

[snopercod]

I stopped reading after the second paragraph:

A century-long policy of knocking down all fires has created fuel-filled forests that burn hotter and faster than ever.

The NYT is now totally estranged from the truth. They should have written:

The anti-logging anti-road policies of the environmental fringe supported by the democrats in congress have created fuel-filled forests that burn hotter and faster than ever

[brityank]

Ping.

And here's an explaination of just what these policies have cost.