Record wildfires this year in California, Oregon, and Washington have been catastrophic, killing over 33 people and destroying millions of acres of forests. Huge swaths of the West have burned, leaving the sky in San Francisco looking like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie, forcing the closure of National Parks and major freeways, and even causing hazy sunsets as far away as D.C.
Dealing with these wildfires is dangerous, expensive, and time-consuming. And the political, financial, and legal hurdles associated with providing aid after wildfire devastation create additional challenges.
But there are actions we can take to mitigate future wildfire risk and safeguard our communities and first responders. In a policy paper released earlier this year, the SmarterSafer Coalition pointed out that pre-disaster mitigation approaches not only protect our natural resources and communities but taxpayer dollars. Indeed, every dollar spent on pre-disaster mitigation is estimated to save six dollars in post-disaster recovery.
Unhealthy or unmanaged forests with significant underbrush are a major cause of the wildfires sweeping the western United States. Periodic forest fires are nature’s way to clean up debris and underbrush, maintain soil and plant health, and create new areas for growth and expansion. But when forests go too long without this natural method of “housekeeping,” the result can be deadly and cause catastrophic environmental damage, degrading soils and streams due to the excessive temperatures.
This situation can be mitigated through active forest management techniques, including tree thinning, the clearing of underbrush, and prescribed burns — techniques that keep forests healthy and remove the underbrush that provides the “fuel” that causes fires to burn out of control. Unfortunately, our current legal and regulatory structure discourages this type of active forest management. Add to that the fact that climate change is making parts of the country hotter and drier, which leads to more dangerous fires.
Now, bipartisan calls have brought active forest management to the forefront of the conversation surrounding wildfire prevention. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Diane Feinstein (D-CA) are at the forefront of this effort and have recently introduced a bill to address these very concerns.
The Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act would streamline redundant regulatory requirements that unnecessarily delay and prevent much-needed forest management practices. The bill also provides for accelerated authorities and new grant programs to support the reduction of fuels along forest roads, trails, and transmission lines (where most wildfires begin), and that encourage workforce development in the forestry sector. And because prescribed fires have long been considered an effective path to reducing wildfire risk, the legislation would create a Prescribed Fire Center in the West to provide training in controlled burns and other wildfire mitigation methods.
Not only would this legislation put in place policies that will protect forests, homes, and businesses from wildfire, it will also help create jobs in the forestry sector and encourage the use of removed high risk dead and dying trees and forest debris as biomass in energy production.
We can reduce the effects of wildfire damage. Active forest management is a key component in preparing ourselves for wildfire season. If we emphasize the importance of wildfire mitigation now, families and businesses located near forests — and the forests themselves — will be better off. Active forest management is also a comprehensive and cost-effective solution to one of the largest natural threats in our nation.