I'll take some of that. I don't lean left and I don't lean right. I'm sure most on this forum will agree that all levels of forest management is fraught. What we may disagree with is how it came to be. For every conservative on this forum that say we don't log enough, is a liberal that says we log too much. For every comment that says too much land is closed to snowmobiling is another that says too much land is open to snowmobiling. What is the answer? Compromise? How is that working out in America these days. I'll ask you, if were required by law to receive comments and respond to those comments (often by folks who know nothing of construction) every time you endeavored a construction project how would that work out? Would it be efficient? Would you enjoy working under those premises. The environmental regulations that you all refer are not the product land management agencies. Those are laws handed down by congress and the states and upheld by the courts. Agencies are required to follow those laws.
As much as Big10 would like to reach through that screen and choke me right now, I will stand shoulder to shoulder with him and continue to advocate for better forest management. That includes timber management with logging - and a lot of it. I have always been impressed by the timber industry where I'm from. They are great stewards of the land, great for local economies and a necessary component of forest management.
Fire does have a role in forest management however. Not every fire can be put out quickly nor should it. When a fire can burn an entire community in hours, no amount of resources can stop that. When a fire ignites and within 20 minutes transitions to a crown fire, no amount of resources can stop that. When fuels, weather and topography align, fire will do what its going to do; and sometimes no amount of logging will change that. Sometimes, a fire can best be described as a natural disaster, much like a hurricane. No amount of proper management can change that - sometimes.
Fire is a big business. When we continue to build homes in areas that are likely to experience fire, it gets expensive - quickly. That is not the fault of federal land management, yet federal land management is now forced to deal with it. That takes money from other programs that would have possibly reduced the impacts from the next disturbance event. However, I will continue to advocate that the reason we talk about the 416, Lake Christine, Silver Creek and Spring Creek fires in Colorado this year, is because these chicken chit, lazy worthless firefighters are not only managing those fires, but the more than 2000 fires that were reported in the rocky mountain area. Many you never even know about because the "we suck at our jobs" folks are actually quite effective with initial attack and those other 2000 fires were contained quickly so as not to burn for months at a time. To Big10 and TT's defense, those fires I mentioned specifically were damaging, produced smoky atmospheres, burned for a very long period of time and burned homes. That is tragic. It is now the reality with which we are faced. Complex decisions must be made that allocate resources to the priority area. Decisions you may not agree with but are being made by dedicated professionals.
My point to all this: Be objective and stop blaming and stop oversimplifying complex issues. It is not always the government and not always a conspiracy. If I ask you to build a home for me, I might question because I do not know. I will not question and say you suck because I watched a you tube video on how to pour concrete. I will ask because I believe you to be an expert in your field. I am good at what I do as I am sure you are good at what you do. I do not deceive and I do not lie. As I'm sure you would in your profession, I will defend the actions of the wildland fire community against claims that have very little basis in reality.
