It needs to be done right, or, yes, it can go badly. Better to allow logging and thinning, etc. But the greenies have put the kibosh on that, to the point that’s it’s too late in some forests, without a major change in policy.
In the lasr year, I’ve spent five days doing controlled burns and 10 days on wildfires. Believe it or not, It’s not easy to burn a forest unless conditions are right. the trick is doing control burns when the conditions are right, not to wet, not too dry.
That burn in Los Alamos was done by amateurs.
What’s your solution?
Much like we are doing here in AZ..or are late in doing.
Whole tree log it, or CTL with the removal of the brush, and then pile the brush and either chip it or burn the brush when conditions are right.
The problem I have with whole tree logging is that you cant do enough fast enough and the damage to the residual stand is bad if you have careless contractors-which is the problem they are having in AZ. In Ore, Ca, Wash, etc, and on steep ground, they have the best handle on how to harvest very steep ground.
With CTL, there is minimal ground disturb’ and the brush is packed out on the forwarders. The brush piles are done neatly for a better more complete burn. Besides that, 8 wheel drive equipment can be run in very soft ground conditions where whole tree requires 4X4 grapple skidders or clam bunk skidders. When it gets soft, rutting is extreme and the job has to be shut down. The point is, it has to be relatively dry to whole tree where as CTL it can be done also in wet conditions. Get my point?
Then, with the equipment made today, with brush mulchers that can be attached onto machinery such as tracked leveling machines, a very large portion of this countries public forests can be made fire proof-as some call it. They can tether machinery now so to climb very steep terrain.
Then, if they want to slash burn it, go ahead. The fuel is ground down onto the ground and it can be controlled. But, there are areas that will have to be managed through controlled burns.
Then, quit closing off access lanes like they are doing. We have closed off several NUMBERED USFS roads these past years.
Turn the management of these forests over to the local and county governments.
Case in point. I worked on the crew that did the Teacup sale in the Coconino south of Flagstaff AZ. Then, they had the fire break out in the Oak Creek Canyon. That fire ran up the hills till it got to the sale and stopped cold. We whole tree logged it, and whole tree logging simulates BURN. The fire crews didnt have enough fuel on that sale to start backfires. But the GD residual stand damage...
Back in the mid 80s, the eco freaks caused the closing down of all the sawmills around that area. So now, there is no market.
And now the people around there live in fear of fire. Believe me, if it ever gets going in Flag, it aint gonna be stopped very easy.
I got back from Ore three weeks ago digging fire breaks. Right now, the fellow I work for part time, is out on the Ferguson fire. He was supposed to be relieved since he has been there since that fire broke out. They wont let him go as the newbies coming in are green and need to be trained. There is more people going to die as a result of that states eviro wacko policy. I also got one friend in NV, and two in northern Cal fighting fires.
But what the hell. Its not them suffering is it now?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNk_cAhz1SU
Been out clearing fire hazards the last day so..
These could be the types of machines that will be used to clear brushy areas for fire prevention.
Take a look at the repy from the gent who replied to Keegan. That is the state of mind nearly all of us in the forest products industry now have. At least those of us who have gone through SFI and BMP practice training.
Uncontrolled fire is unnecessary pollution in this day and age.