Circular Fire Arguments
The Eugene Register-Guard editorial board discussed the impact of forest fire suppression on the Oregon State budget and some mechanisms for mitigating this impact. No surprise that this is their big suggestion: A longer-term approach would be to address a primary reason firefighting costs are so high — the buildup of flammable material in many forests. Thinning, but so is fighting fires. Sorry, the buildup of flammable materials is not primary. First, the high cost of firefighting is due entirely to the fact that they fight the fires. Many years of unnecessary suppression is the prime reason for the buildup of...