Ray Nutting]
Over the last 140 years of curtailment of natural fire has built the fuel loads in our forest now causing these catastrophic fires.
Prior to pre-settlement each acre had around 50 huge trees per acre. Today, each acre has more than 1000. Along with these 1000 trees includes hardwoods, brush, and grass.
When fires came through the pre-settlement forest it cleaned the ground and allowed the trees to flourish. Now a fire can’t be stopped! These fires consume everything including our lives and homes.
There is an answer and it will take a lot of hard work. Learning how to truly live with nature and get our forest back to fire-resiliency will take time.
Education is the process of learning what to do. And, the work that is needed to accomplish our goal will take decades. We need to get started today.
Our State and Federal governments needs to fund their forest educational programs and fuels reduction programs quickly. We need to identify work forces and develop forest products that will enhance the forest fire-resiliency.
Using inmate labor not only to fight fire but to reduce fuel loads is very possible and we can quickly start. We can get the CCC and Amari-core programs up and running working with others to accomplish the same goals.
Each of us that live in the forest can: get rid of much of our brush; space our trees so each of its tops have space; limb up branch above 12 feet; and truly create a fire safe ring around our homes.
Finally, the day will come when fires become our friend again and not the enemy.
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