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Government's attempts to suppress forest fires only making them worse By
Benjamin Kirk Davis
According to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, 82,587 large fires have burned over 6,898,980 acres in the United States this year. This catastrophic fire year is due largely to the 80 years of fire suppression by government programs. Under pristine conditions, a forest fire will cleanse the undergrowth of a forest about every 20 years. The intense heat produced by these fires allows pinecones, especially lodgepole pine, to burst and scatter seeds on the forest floor. Without these fires, the seeds are not scattered as well. It is a way of Mother Nature to naturally "clean forest house." This year more acres were burned then in any of the last 50 years. Due to large scale-backs in budgeting for firefighters, the West was largely undermanned this year in fighting these fires. This has been a matter of hot debate in Montana, Idaho and other western states. In order to study the impact the fires will have, we should take a look at fires in the past, such as the 1988 Yellowstone fires. Not only is there an entire forest sprouting up, tourism has not declined to the area because of the devastation. The future of the economy is debatable. Montana has been declared a disaster area and has already been approved for over $1 million in federal grants. "We are seeing many registrations [for federal aid] from people and businesses who lost work or business because of the fires and land closures," said State Coordinating Officer Jim Greene. "Economic injury is clearly one of the most serious side effects of this year's devastating fire season." Also debated is the use of forests. How well the logging roads helped firefighters gain access to backcountry is a question many lobbyists and legislators will be asking. Arguably these road provide access to ATVs and 4x4's, which can harm the environment. Roads that are not maintained are also subject to washouts and fill waterways with an undue amount of silt. No matter the outcome of the economy or the environment, expect new legislation from the government to ensure this type of fire season does not happen again.
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