Controlled burns restrict damage from wildfires

When an article titled "Forest Service disregarding Santa Fe burn concerns" (Jan Boyer, April 23, 2023) popped up in my news feed, it caught my attention. I worked for the United States Forest Service for nine years, with the majority of that time invested taking or combating wildfires part in regulated burns throughout 18 states, from northern Alaska to Florida, consisting of New Mexico.

Drawing on my experiences, I found numerous problems with Boyer's piece, in particular the statement that "There is little proof fuel reduction prevents wildfires." This declaration mischaracterizes the goal of these fuel minimizing burns. The boost in controlled burning, is based in part, on the realization that lots of wildfires can not be avoided, however much of the destruction that they trigger can.

Many people are questioning, what do these burns attain? Shouldn't we enable nature to run its course? This is a legitimate question, however unfortunately, for the greater part of a century, we have actually disrupted nature by extinguishing naturally occurring wildfires, such as those caused by lightning.

Believe of it like a backyard burnpile that you add dead limbs and grass to annual, and ought to burn every few years. Now think about bring on like this every year, but waiting 40 years to burn it.

Regrettably, if these cluttered forests ignite now, under the best conditions-- dry and hot weather condition-- the fire will burn with an intensity that destroys all trees and plants, despite size. Excess fuel supplies the extreme heat and high flame lengths to reach treetops, and the close spacing of these trees implies that the fire can now spread from one treetop to the next with ease. This makes even bigger trees prone to fire.

While hotter and drier climate conditions do account for fuels that quicker fire up, and a longer fire season, the majority of the devastation triggered by current wildfires might be alleviated by proper fuel decrease efforts. Selecting not to perform these burns just increases the probability that any fires that take place on this ground in the future will trigger environmental devastation that takes years to recuperate from.

If anybody wishes to find out more about these principles, or the environmental considerations taken in concerns to this particular job, I recommend having a look at the 360-page document entitled Santa Fe Mountains Landscape Resiliency Project Environmental Assessment, available on the Forest Service/USDA website, or by means of the link (https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/santafe/?project=55088 click the "Analysis" folder).

I also hope that these concerns were brought up at any of the various public input conferences that have occurred over the last few years. If you offered input, however it did not yield the outcome you hoped for, this does not imply that it was ignored. When planning these projects, the Forest Service also has environmental researchers that they rely on. Finally, let us keep in mind that residents, nature conservancy groups, and the fuel experts of the United States Forest Service ultimately share the exact same objective-- a healthier, balanced, and fireproof natural surroundings.