Fire ecology in the pines is often discussed. It's not my area of expertise, but it does interest me because of what I see out there. For the past month, I've gone deep into the pine plains performing a plant survey. I'm starting to feel vulnerable out there because of the combination of narrow, horribly maintained roads amid areas that have not burned in over 15 years. When you take 30 minutes carefully driving over the gullies and bumps and wet clay holes and then step out of the truck into silence, it's invigorating...until you realize the trees are 2 to 3 times the size they used to be, the trail is only 7 or 8 feet wide, there is no place to turn around, and the wind is blowing. I doubt I'd ever get out alive if a fire started on route 539 and the wind was blowing in my direction. Well, we take risks, but it's unsettling.
It has me wondering if the current policy of numerous and regular controlled burns along with underbrush cutting around home developments while the rest of the forest grows unchecked is part of the plan; by that I mean - does the FFS realize there will be wildfires, so they'll just deal with them as they come now?
You should be able to read this, it's what they call a gift article. But this is a different situation with Sequoias, they are trying to save those trees. We don't do that in the pines. The cedars, yes, but that's an uncontrollable situation.
It has me wondering if the current policy of numerous and regular controlled burns along with underbrush cutting around home developments while the rest of the forest grows unchecked is part of the plan; by that I mean - does the FFS realize there will be wildfires, so they'll just deal with them as they come now?
You should be able to read this, it's what they call a gift article. But this is a different situation with Sequoias, they are trying to save those trees. We don't do that in the pines. The cedars, yes, but that's an uncontrollable situation.
