It would help alot if usfs and blm would manage the land properly! Too many road closures, not enough thinning or selective cut logging. The usfs forest near where i live has many areas that are choked with baby trees, manzanita thats 3 foot high, and old rottenn blowdown trees its a firestorm waiting to happen. In many areas its not even legal to cut this garbage for firewood. It just gets worse every year. Im pretty much against clearcutting in the intermountain west, but the forest need to be managed. Nothing wrong with selective cut logging and common sense goals. And if you think my post is nonsense come spend august and september out here and find out what its like to breathe smoke every day.
Yeah its brutal out there this year on both sides of the border. I live one hour north of Eureka Montana in BC and we have evacuation alerts and evacuation orders all over the place. Sucking wood smoke is not nice not to mention how it feels in your eyes! Winds are high and smoke is thick. My hats off to all the fire fighters out there who are putting themselves in harms way to protect us. Ive posted a few times tonight about smoke and fires so a bit of a rant I guess. Hope everyone stays safe!
I agree with you completely there are not enough resources to cover the cost of caring for the forest like it needs to be. (Without getting political) there are certain groups that are against selective logging and put up enough of a fight to keep that from happening.
Crap. I get to breath enough smoke for the neighbor who has fires most of the time through the summer months. Sometimes it really stinks and I have to go ask them to put it out. It is worst when the wind dies down as then the smoke just hangs over us. Nasty.
Yes i can agree its all about $$$$$. Seems like alot of the fires could be put out quickly with agressive use of big dozers and water/ retardent drops. I got big respect for the people out on the fire lines its a very tough job.
The only way to fix this problem is to let the fires burn out. Protect the dwellings, and let the rest burn. When the fuel is gone, there are no more super-fires.
Tonights sunset courtesy of the Oregon / Montana fires. 21273693_10209960438903985_4290469237098877415_o.jpg I was going to direct upload but my file was too large
There have been times that a fire at the pit will be put out (actually, not built completely) because the smoke direction flows into a neighbors house....
Exactly. I couldnt agree more. We still havent learned that up here in western Canada either. Here in Alberta, we've been chocking on massive smoke from the huge British Columbia fires off and on all summer. The problem is, we've got too many homes out in the bush for the government to just let everything burn. Here in Alberta, there are oil and gas sites all over the place. The bush in some areas is too thick to walk through without a chainsaw and machette. That isnt what nature intended, but, after 150 years of fighting every fire that crops up, thats what you've got. Now, between everything being packed so close together and 150 years of fuel laying on the forest floor, when fire does crop up, its massive, hot, and EVERYTHING dies. The extreme spread of disease and pest infestations like pine beetles is a direct result if out valiant, but misguided efforts as well. I dont know what the solution is to have people and industry co-exist with fire, but what we've been doing isnt the answer. We're only making things more of a powder keg in the long run, with much more complete destruction when fire does finally decide its time for a natural reset and thinning of the herd.
Yes, sad for people to lose their homes. What happened in Tennessee was horrible and the two teenagers that caused the fire and thus the deaths are getting off free. They need to at least be taken out behind the shed and the snot beat out of them. I haven't heard if any lawsuits have been filed against the families but their should be. Without some form of hurt, they are not likely to have learned anything and probably still laugh about it. Anyway, sorry for the rant. Will they open the area up for people to scavenge wood? Often there is still good firewood to be had.
Hello blacksmithden. Welcome to the family! Ive been busy with work lately so havent seen your other posts but glad you found us! You'll see from my sig that Im in South Eastern BC not far from Alberta. Its been real smoky here today but winds were pretty calm. Smoke is heavy, heavy today. Even with clear skies the sun barely made shadows and looked more like a cloudy day with an orange glow.
