justanotherguy

Bend is smack dab in the center of an ecosystem that relies on a natural fire cycle to maintain and promote forest health. To go "smokeless" would be to interrupt a natural process that took nature thousands of years to perfect. The data gathered from tree rings reveals the average fire return interval for the ponderosa pine stands like you might find out skyliners road is historically 8-12 years, mimicking that with the use of prescribed fire is our best approach at maintaining forest health in a controlled and manageable manner. Focusing the attention around major roads and urban areas gives fire managers and firefighters the upper hand when preventing and suppressing large scales wildfires fueled by dense forest and heavy fuel loadings (which are a direct result of heavy fire suppression in the last century). When I say large scale fires I refer to the intense and severe ones which threaten life and property (i.e. Two Bulls fire). Smokey Bear is the worst thing to happen to fire dependent ecosystems in the inter mountain west, the educated fire managers know this already, but the general public is blinded by their own social and economic motives. A cultural shift needs to happen in the acceptance of the application of fire and the general public needs to come to terms with the fact that fire is here to stay and is the best tool in our tool box. All in all, people need to get the F over it. *mic drop*