"There’s a war being fought in the forests." The contract firefighter looked at me with tired brown eyes and a soot-streaked face. The once-yellow bag on his shoulder was mostly black and smelled as if I had submerged my nose underneath a burning campfire. "The problem is that I’m not talking about the fire! I’m talking about the inertia that has resulted from the fighting--environmentalists to loggers and all the groups in between."
Fighting forest fires is big business in this country. The 2003 federal budget is $2.6 billion and the projections are that the bills will exceed the $3.5 billion mark. In September, there were 2,705 firepeople in northern Montana being supported by our taxes. Can we do a stomach-stapling process to this obese monster in order to save this country from a financial stroke? The heart of the matter is more than the budget, as the priorities are environmental stability and jobs to support the local economy.
It’s interesting to note that when logging and grazing were allowed, the fees supported fire protection and the federal project broke even. I am not suggesting that the methods of logging used 20 years ago should be used today. Loggers have shown that sporadic and healthy thinning can be done. It is true that abuses have occurred when companies became greedy; or was it a result of their confusion? Today there are over 200 definitions of what an "old-growth forest" is. This spring, a Montana judge put a stop to logging as he requested, "Bring me ONE definition so we can proceed!" I hope that it doesn’t take hell to freeze over before a definition can surface, because logging families are now on temporary welfare, increasing the negative repercussions.
I recently heard some firemen using the words "bloke" and "mate." Why would the government pay travel expenses and living fees for a crew from Australia? The problem is that we are suffering from monster-sized fires across the entire western United States. Our own fire teams are stretched too thin. Montana has a phenomenal 22 fires currently raging that encompass more than 100 acres each. This is only one little speck on the United States map.
The policy of fire suppression from 1910 has caused layers of dead fuel and infringement of a lower canopy of opportunist trees that are choking the forest. One firefighter who travels across the country mapping fires told me that Glacier "is the worst forest I’ve been in for thick undergrowth!" In time, it will be thinned, regardless if it is through fire or human intervention, as an astounding 610,000 acres has burned this summer in Montana alone. The problem with the fire method is that the infernos are so huge that controlling them safely is impossible. Everyone agrees that fire in the forest is essential, but the environmental management methods are at debate.
Some groups are suggesting that limited cattle grazing and logging would keep the fuel levels down to manageable levels so allowed burns wouldn’t destroy too much animal habitat at each occurrence. It has been proven that when all parties play by the rules, this does result in healthier forests.
The opposite extremist groups (i.e., The National Forest Preservation Alliance and their cohorts) hold the view that the forest should be left alone and old logging roads should be reclaimed to the natural grade. The majority of people involved in this issue believe that the last position is very dangerous for humanity, animals, and the environment.
This group has been fighting for years to get the local people who live in the North Forty of Glacier Park to be removed by the government. Of course, the landowners were there before the park was established! The Roberts Fire in that area has been burning all summer and is being investigated for arson. Today, the talk in Columbia Falls rushes like a flash flood as people demand that "those terrorists" are brought to justice "or we’ll find ‘em and hang ‘em!" I would never underestimate the direct attitude and intent of any Montana resident! Proof is still forthcoming, and no group has claimed responsibility, but serious damage has been done as the hatred between the groups intensifies.
One ranger who asked not to be identified said, "those people sit in their cities far away and they think they can rationalize this problem. But they aren’t here fighting in the first line with 400 feet flames advancing on them and their skin getting scorched! They aren’t here to see us rescuing injured and displaced animals and the costs involved in cleanup (estimated to be $500,000 for northern Montana alone, which is $150,000 less than the Forest Department asked for). While the fires are still burning in Glacier National Park, an alliance has been made with the Wind River Bear Institute for impending rescues. Consider that a single male grizzly bear needs 364 miles of territory to live. With the Glacier and Bob fires, 1,784 bears could be displaced or dead. It’s astounding when you add all of the other critters of the forest to this tally. The poor marmot can’t outrun the fire, so it’s expected that they are all dead.
I have a logging friend in Eureka, Montana who’s also a volunteer fireman. Jay said, "I love this place! My father and my grandfather were loggers in this country and I hope that my children and grandchildren are too. Environmentalists need to understand that I don’t want to harm this country and lose my quality of living! This IS my backyard! Contract firemen come here for two weeks at a time, but I will be fighting this fire every day for months on end until the snow finally puts it out. It [the fire] doesn’t have to be this intense and out of control if we would be allowed to thin the forest."
The pendulum may be swinging now that Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt has recently talked about forest fires in this country. "This is a historic moment," he stated, indicating that policy change would be forthcoming without really clarifying the government’s intent.
What we need is a judge with the wisdom of Solomon who can tell each specialty group to design the ultimate management plan, which they would then submit to a steering committee. This committee would hear and research each side and collect the best ideas from all of them. It will work if the committee is allowed judicial teeth to have final authority on their recommendations. I wish that the government would take a parental stance by sequestering this group and allowing no one to play until their homework is done!
While I hold my breath, it seemed like a good day to take a ride through my beloved Glacier National Park. It had rained the day before, so I knew that the dangerous columns of flames would be temporarily knocked down.
The smoke was all the way into Kalispell over 25 miles away, giving a blue, filmy cast to the air. Driving northeast, the haze increased in intensity at Columbia Falls, resulting in itchy red eyes and a runny nose. I can’t imagine what asthmatics and the elderly have been doing to protect their health.
It was spooky during daylight inside the park. Lights were necessary as we drove through swirling smoke that hung low in the valley. Across Lake McDonald, the land was charred black, and a fire was burning over the next peak, staining the sky a peachy pink. We stopped at Lake McDonald Lodge and saw that temporary sprinklers had been set every 4 feet along the rooftops and bulldozers were on standby to make the earth barren if the fire encroached too close.
Climbing the road along Logan’s Loop, I stopped to look over the edge at the blackened world. Across the valley, the first dusting of snow was on the peaks, while the tree line was smoldering with curling smoke spirals. From the valley to the crest on my side, everything was destroyed. Later, I found out that this was a "no-stop zone" because the dead trees could have fallen and killed us. I know that the whole side of Logan’s could avalanche down the valley in a massive landslide, while the stream is certain to be toxic with ash all next year.
Why is this occuring? Lack of strong leadership and squabbling groups who aren’t committed to finding a resolution are the plague of millions of American and foreign travelers who visit here.
I cried in frustration, because we aren’t willing to reach a settlement that will benefit the majority rather than the minority.
I cried because international politics have enraptured us while important issues at home are ignored.
Most of all, I cried and found no comfort because I care for this place so much. If you do care, it doesn’t matter...if you remain silent.
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