Fire-It's Coming to A Forest Near You

Patriot Trading Group ^ | June 24, 2002 | Mariah Wilson

[Justanumba]

Fire-It's Coming to A Forest Near You

Mariah Wilson (c) 2002 mariahwilson@yahoo.com

Do you love the Mountain West? The incomparable scenic vistas? The incredible parks? The way the wind rustles through the trees? Do you have special forest places that you like to visit again and again? Do you love it so much that you live in the mountains? That you built your whole life around the experience of living with trees, flora and fauna?

Well, take a good look at it while you can. In fact, better take a trip this summer. Don't put it off. Don't wait. Take a look at what's left of the magnificent Mountain West. And take a look at what's gone as well, if you have the stomach for it.

I remember Yellowstone before the fires. You know I just flat out loved that park. The last time I was there 10 years after it burned, I cried the whole time. I couldn't wait to get out of the Park to private property, where people protect and care for the land rather than allowing it to be destroyed by something entirely preventable.

I saw the Bandolier National Monument and the forests around Los Alamos before that fire. I drank of their beauty. They are gone now, irretrievably, utterly gone. It takes 150-200 years to replace a forest devastated by wildfire. We will never get them back in our lifetime.

I saw Pike's Peak in Colorado and the whole area that has now burned. I marveled at its glory, it's elegant pageantry. I have to say goodbye to it now. I can hardly bear to lose it. It is almost beyond imagining that poor forest management has destroyed this area. I have wonderful photographs that I took. Not that I could stand to look at them now.

Oh, and don't get me started on the White Mountains of Arizona. I drove through them a couple of years ago, and wondered why I had not visited them before; they were such a special, unique place. Little did I know, that I was seeing them in their splendor for the last time.

I can't leave out the incomparable Bitterroot Valley in Montana or the wilderness areas that burned in the North Cascades, where I live in the mountains, surrounded by Federal and State forests that need thinning desperately, with no access roads, firebreaks, or any sort of proper land management going on. Believe me, the entire Mountain West is like this. It is a disgrace that this has been allowed to happen. I've been there. I've seen it. The Federal Government has sucked up all the prime mountain property under their control. They and environmentalists have teamed up to sign a death warrant on our National Heritage.

When I need balm for my spirit or a lift for my mind, I like to hit the road and explore the Mountain West. It is one of my most cherished past times. But, next time you see a beautiful forest, one that makes your heart sing, one that fills you with that indescribable love of country, one that imbues you with the joy that you live on God's green earth, be sure you take a good, long look at it and be sure that your children do as well. Because that forest may not be there next summer, or the summer after that. There's a good chance that it will be gone forever. Gone in flames. We are losing our forests and hopefully people will wake up and realize who is to blame.

[Justanumba]

This was printed at allamericangold.com back at the end of June, so it's no longer there. You'll just have to take my word for it! I just never got around to putting it up here, but I had some time so I thought I would do it now, if only for Grandpa Dave! This was printed before the terrible Oregon fires. I have traveled extensively in Oregon and have seen parts of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness area and the area around the Rogue River. Now I must also quietly say goodbye to them. They were exquisite.

[SierraWasp]

"if only for Grandpa Dave!"

Well, then, why didn'tcha ping ol Grampa Rampa Dave already??? Yer slippin!(grin)

[Justanumba]

Oooops. I was looking for a ping list I used to have and I couldn't find it. I need to go on one of the eco-threads and see what I can come up with! I am on someone else's ping list and they always keep me up to date on everything. If anyone has a ping list, I'd love it if they used it!

Makes me sound terribly lazy saying that however...:-)

[Nitro]

They were lost due to the efforts of "greenies"...

I used to go to a couple of Boy Scout Camps, Pouch and Alpine, and now I think they were just using us to claer deadfall...

but then again they never burned, because a forest needs air and spave just like a kid that was ... nevermind!!

[SierraWasp]

You're not lazy, just sly! John Huang II is the "King of Ping" according to Billie.

What I wanna know is... this year, will your number come up?

Well! Now isn't that special!?! I tried to ping John and evidently I can't remember how to spell his screen name correctly in order to ping 'em. I tried "JohnHuangII," then "John HuangII," then I gave up. Anybody know how to ping the "King of Ping?" Guess I'll have to go check "My Comments" to see how to spell it correctly.

[Justanumba]

Help! I have found you! It is you, the ubiquitous madfly who keeps me pinged and up-to-date on all of the eco madness!

Would you use your magic list and your pinging talent for me?

[dixiechick2000]

Here you go, sir!

[Stefan Stackhouse]

Lost forests
Lost recreational opportunities
Lost wildlife
Lost lumber & paper products
Lost jobs
Lost exports to balance our trade deficit
Lost biomass to soak up CO2
Lost homes
Lost lives

Just some of the costs of radical environmentalism.

[dixiechick2000]

Pinging y'all!

Thanks for the pings during my vacation, Gramps and madfly. I appreciate being kept up to date on the fire situation.

[SierraWasp]

Ok, I almost had it right. The one thing Arabic is good for is numerals, rather than Roman. (blush)

Now let's see if he rides to your rescue like Lawrence of Arabia, or leaves you hangin like Ahab the Arab(courtesy of Ray Stevens), the sheik of the burning sand. Burning!!!

That's right! Thats the subject of you fine thread as you thread the needle and wait for a super pinger 2 assist you.

[Justanumba]

I've had to fight small fires around here before. I live in the Methow Valley, in Okanogan County and we had some huge blazes last year. One where the four firefighters were killed because they wouldn't give them water due to endangered fish!!!!!

When you live here, everyone comes out and fights fires right away when they happen. The locals are the first on the scene. It's stupid to wait around when it can take an hour or so for even the local fire department to get deployed.

The Department of Natural Resources here is giving out some sort of grant money for private landowners to thin their trees. This seems kind of funny when the State and Federal forests are in way worse shape than the privately owned ones.

I have 30 acres and some of my trees have been thinned but some remain that need it. But you know what, I won't take the Government's money. I'm going to just keep plugging away at it myself. I've got most of it that is close to my cabin cleared pretty well.

[SierraWasp]

Thank ya dixiechick2000!!! As you can see I finally fingered it out awl by my little ol self. I sayed to myself... "Self! Yew bedder begin ta cach on ta this here FreeRepellican.c'mon system uv pings & pongs er yer gonna be left at the murcy uv sum beeeeeeutiful suthern chick frum the year uv our Lord 2000!!!"

[Justanumba]

Wow, like Lawrence of Arabia, cool! I'm all agog!

[Justanumba]

Do you think mainstream America is fathoming any of this, or are they still sending checks to the Sierra Club, thinking that its good for the environment?

Uh-oh. It's those kind of questions that keep me up all night.

[SierraWasp]

"I've got most of it that is close to my cabin cleared pretty well."

I presume you know superfreeper Carry_Okie and how hard he works to keep his forested property in shape like the biblical "good steward," right?

One of these days he's gonna end up in the crick bed of one of his slippery slopes that he's properly preserving!

[Justanumba]

That gave me the best laugh I've had all day. Ooops. I used a comma instead of a semi-colon between names. Do you think I will be banned?

[Carry_Okie]

yer waxin perfetic tuenite, sirrah.

[SierraWasp]

"I'm all agog!"

Just so it ain't "Magog!"

[Carry_Okie]

Now yer gettin alliterate.

I have two pages dedicated to thinning:

FUEL.
FORESTRY.

[Justanumba]

Oh yes, I've visited his website many times for comfort and wisdom. He does live on a steep slope. My acreage is mostly flat with some steep areas. Of course, the steep areas are the ones that aren't thinned yet...:-)

My trees are Ponderosa Pine and luckily they don't get as big as Carry_Okie's redwoods!