Great piece Ed. As someone who has lived most of my adult life in or near forests in Colorado and Arizona—I’d suggest one more thing that has exacerbated and promoted fire suppression philosophies—the proliferation of million+ dollars homes in deeply forested areas in the last 50 years. Just wait until Aspen or Vail or Telluride or Squaw Valley or Sun Valley burns to the ground and the insurance companies finally pull the plug on insuring these homes in these areas.
Thank you, Dee, for your thoughtful feedback. Your insights are appreciated, especially given your extensive experience living in forested areas of Colorado and Arizona. I've lived many years in Prescott and Flagstaff myself.
You raise an excellent point about the proliferation of high-value homes in deeply forested areas. This trend has no doubt influenced fire suppression philosophies and added complexity to wildfire management. The potential for significant financial loss in the areas you mentioned, underscores the need for a balanced approach to forest management and fire mitigation.
It's clear that the challenges we face are multifaceted, involving not only forest management practices but also the realities of human development in fire-prone zones. Your mention of the current wildfires in Colorado and their impact on local ecosystems highlights the urgency of addressing these issues.
Thank you again for your engagement and for sharing your valuable perspectives. Together, through informed discussion and proactive measures, we can work towards more effective solutions to mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
Great article. You've made several very important points. The Indigenous in Canada and Native Americans in the US used intelligent forest management before they were herded en mass to reservations, stripped of their voices, and their wisdom ignored. Their ways were considered wrong, and they were ignored. Now we know better, yet they are still rarely consulted. Unless we smarten up, these massive and tragic fires will just get worse.
Thank you, Marina! You raise an excellent point about the historical wisdom of Indigenous and Native American forest management practices. Their intelligent and sustainable approaches to forest management were indeed overlooked and undervalued for far too long.
It's clear that integrating traditional knowledge with modern forest management strategies could offer valuable solutions to the wildfire crisis we face today. As you pointed out, consulting and learning from Indigenous communities can help us develop more effective and holistic approaches to forest management.
Thank you for your engagement and for highlighting this important perspective. Together, through informed discussion and collaboration, we can work towards more sustainable and effective forest management practices.
The other problem is harvesting hardwoods and planting only softwoods. This has happened again at the Toronto Zoo (https://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/truly-saddened-by-this-loss-red-panda-cub-born-at-toronto-zoo-in-june-dies-1.6986930)
Dear Lord, not another tragic death... :-(
Great piece Ed. As someone who has lived most of my adult life in or near forests in Colorado and Arizona—I’d suggest one more thing that has exacerbated and promoted fire suppression philosophies—the proliferation of million+ dollars homes in deeply forested areas in the last 50 years. Just wait until Aspen or Vail or Telluride or Squaw Valley or Sun Valley burns to the ground and the insurance companies finally pull the plug on insuring these homes in these areas.
Thank you, Dee, for your thoughtful feedback. Your insights are appreciated, especially given your extensive experience living in forested areas of Colorado and Arizona. I've lived many years in Prescott and Flagstaff myself.
You raise an excellent point about the proliferation of high-value homes in deeply forested areas. This trend has no doubt influenced fire suppression philosophies and added complexity to wildfire management. The potential for significant financial loss in the areas you mentioned, underscores the need for a balanced approach to forest management and fire mitigation.
It's clear that the challenges we face are multifaceted, involving not only forest management practices but also the realities of human development in fire-prone zones. Your mention of the current wildfires in Colorado and their impact on local ecosystems highlights the urgency of addressing these issues.
Thank you again for your engagement and for sharing your valuable perspectives. Together, through informed discussion and proactive measures, we can work towards more effective solutions to mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
Your informed essays pull me in. I look forward to more.
You are very kind! I'll do my best! Thank you!
Great article. You've made several very important points. The Indigenous in Canada and Native Americans in the US used intelligent forest management before they were herded en mass to reservations, stripped of their voices, and their wisdom ignored. Their ways were considered wrong, and they were ignored. Now we know better, yet they are still rarely consulted. Unless we smarten up, these massive and tragic fires will just get worse.
Thank you, Marina! You raise an excellent point about the historical wisdom of Indigenous and Native American forest management practices. Their intelligent and sustainable approaches to forest management were indeed overlooked and undervalued for far too long.
It's clear that integrating traditional knowledge with modern forest management strategies could offer valuable solutions to the wildfire crisis we face today. As you pointed out, consulting and learning from Indigenous communities can help us develop more effective and holistic approaches to forest management.
Thank you for your engagement and for highlighting this important perspective. Together, through informed discussion and collaboration, we can work towards more sustainable and effective forest management practices.