The problem isn’t so much that, which is only in effect in SOME forest areas (mostly in the west), the PROBLEM is that the policy for far too long has been to keep ALL fires away from the trees. The only thing most of the current crop of forest science folk agree on is that the fire load in the forests NEEDS to be reduced. Prescribed burning is one of the choices, but brush hogging and hand-thinning are other options that may be better in particular circumstances.
Bottom line though: Climate is changed and changing… and the forests are not adapted to how hot and dry they are.
The problem isn’t so much that, which is only in effect in SOME forest areas (mostly in the west), the PROBLEM is that the policy for far too long has been to keep ALL fires away from the trees. The only thing most of the current crop of forest science folk agree on is that the fire load in the forests NEEDS to be reduced. Prescribed burning is one of the choices, but brush hogging and hand-thinning are other options that may be better in particular circumstances.
Bottom line though: Climate is changed and changing… and the forests are not adapted to how hot and dry they are.