California's Line Fire: Igniting Decades of Mismanaged Forests
How Short-Sighted Policies Have Turned California’s Forests into Tinderboxes—and What We Must Do Now
As the Line Fire scorches its way through the San Bernardino Mountains, it has rapidly devoured over 20,000 acres in less than a week, forcing entire communities to flee and threatening to destroy more than 36,000 homes, businesses, and key infrastructure. The fire, which erupted on September 5th near Highland, CA, has grown at an alarming rate, fueled by relentless winds and temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Already, critical roadways have been closed, power outages are spreading, and evacuation centers are overwhelmed with displaced residents. Despite the tireless efforts of over 1,800 firefighters, containment remains at 0%, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency and request federal aid as the fire continues to outpace efforts to control it. The Line Fire has become an urgent reminder of how mismanagement and environmental factors combine to create disasters of unprecedented scale.
Historical Context and Mismanagement
For decades, California’s forest management practices have been marred by short-term, reactionary policies that prioritized fire suppression over long-term forest health. A pivotal moment came in 1910 with the "Big Burn," a massive wildfire that devastated over 3 million acres across several states. In its aftermath, the U.S. Forest Service adopted an aggressive fire suppression policy under the influence of the Weeks Act of 1911, which focused on firefighting at all costs.
This policy, later known as the "10 a.m. policy," required all wildfires to be suppressed by 10 a.m. the day after detection. While it aimed to protect communities, it inadvertently led to an unnatural buildup of underbrush and deadwood, depriving forests of the natural, low-intensity fires that would have otherwise cleared these fuels.
Throughout the mid-20th century, federal and state agencies—driven by the protection of timber resources and property—continued to prioritize suppression, despite early warnings from ecologists about the long-term risks of fuel accumulation. The 1944 Smokey Bear campaign further cemented the belief that all fire was harmful, ignoring the role of natural fire cycles in maintaining forest health.
By the 1960s, some scientists and forestry experts began to argue for the reintroduction of controlled burns to manage fuel loads. However, these warnings were largely ignored as fire suppression policies remained the dominant approach well into the late 20th century. The result was forests that were unnaturally dense and highly flammable, creating the conditions for today's megafires.
In recent decades, the National Fire Plan (2000) and Healthy Forests Restoration Act (2003) sought to reverse some of these practices, emphasizing fuel reduction and the restoration of natural fire regimes. However, budget constraints, regulatory hurdles, and competing priorities meant that these reforms were implemented inconsistently. As a result, many forests in California remain overgrown and vulnerable to massive wildfires like the Line Fire, which now feed on decades of accumulated fuel.
Cost to Wildlife
The impact on wildlife is profound, with costs measured in terms of habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, and ecological imbalance. During wildfires, animals face immediate threats such as injury or death from flames and smoke, particularly affecting slow-moving species. The destruction of habitats forces wildlife to migrate, leading to increased human-animal conflicts and long-term population declines. As ecosystems are altered, invasive species may colonize burned areas, further threatening native wildlife.
To mitigate these impacts, adaptive management practices like prescribed burns and strategic thinning are essential. These strategies help maintain habitat diversity and resilience, supporting wildlife recovery and reducing the severity of future wildfires. By understanding and addressing the cost to wildlife, we can work towards minimizing the ecological and economic consequences of wildfires.
The Real Role of Climate Change
The current heatwave gripping Southern California, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, has further intensified the situation. However, this extreme weather needs context. Southern California has experienced similar heatwaves four times since 1877. While rare, they are not unprecedented.
The issue is when severe weather is coupled with poor forest management practices which prolong fire seasons and increase the frequency and severity of wildfires. Poor forest management practices involve strategies that neglect forest health and resilience, such as excessive fire suppression, lack of thinning and prescribed burns, inadequate reforestation, and failure to adapt to climate change. These practices lead to overgrown forests with excessive fuel loads, increasing the risk and severity of wildfires.
The Line Fire's rapid expansion is a stark reminder of the urgent need to prepare for extreme weather by implementing adaptive forest management practices such as controlled burns or strategic thinning.
The Call for Adaptive Management
As communities in the path of the Line Fire face mandatory evacuations and uncertainty, the need for a paradigm shift in forest management becomes increasingly clear. Adaptive management—an approach that emphasizes flexibility, continuous learning, and strategic intervention—has already shown success in several regions.
In Northern California, the Plumas National Forest implemented an adaptive management strategy as part of the Plumas-Lassen Administrative Study. This initiative included prescribed burns, mechanical thinning, and controlled grazing to reduce fuel loads and restore healthier ecosystems. Over time, these methods have significantly reduced the risk of large-scale wildfires in the area while promoting forest resilience and biodiversity.
Another example is Arizona’s Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), which focuses on thinning overly dense forests across four national forests. By combining mechanical thinning and prescribed burns, the 4FRI has successfully reduced fire hazards while allowing forest ecosystems to regenerate naturally. The initiative's adaptive framework also allows for ongoing adjustments based on real-time feedback, enabling forest managers to respond effectively to changing conditions.
California itself has seen progress with adaptive management in the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment, where a combination of mechanical thinning and controlled burns has been applied to reduce fire risks across critical watersheds. While these projects are ongoing, early results show improved forest health and reduced vulnerability to catastrophic fires.
These examples demonstrate that adaptive forest management is not just theoretical but a proven, scalable solution that can mitigate wildfire risks when applied correctly. By expanding these efforts across the state, California can better prepare its forests to withstand future wildfires, reducing both the frequency and severity of these disasters.
Call to Action
The Line Fire is not just a natural disaster but a reflection of human decisions and their consequences. It underscores the critical need for informed and sustainable forest management practices that align with the realities of a dynamic environment. As the flames continue to threaten lives and livelihoods, the urgency for change has never been more apparent. Implementing these strategies must be prioritized by policymakers and forest managers if we are to prevent another disaster of this scale.
Additional Reading:
Turning the Tide on Wildfires: Embracing Sustainable Forest Management
Fueling the Flames: Unmasking the True Drivers of America’s Wildfires
Infernal in the Wilderness: The Battle for Survival in Jasper National Park
Goats to the Rescue: California’s Innovative Approach to Wildfire Prevention
Ed Boks is a former Executive Director of the New York City, Los Angeles, and Maricopa County Animal Care & Control Departments. His work has been published in the LA Times, New York Times, Newsweek, Real Clear Policy, Sentient Media, and now on Animal Politics with Ed Boks. He is available for consultations at animalpolitics8@gmail.com
I work for a conservation organization that promotes "fire in the forest" protocols through science based learning combined with indigenous understanding. So fascinating! I was even more blown away with the science that demonstrates how beaver activity can provide natural fire break.
I grew up in San Bernardino and worked for Cal Fire in that Ranger Unit and in San Diego. The Big Four forests are Federal. The land management and practices aren't State mandated, and there are often wide swathes of disagreement between Feds and State.
I just wanted to point out the difference. It's not State mismanagement, it just all happens to be in CA. Climate change absolutely makes firefighting more difficult. The heat wave now is longer and drier than any in history.