This is a version of an Op-Ed by Kenn & Susan McCarty that appeared in the Lake County Record-Bee. Susan is a 16-year wildland firefighter veteran and a former United States Forest Service Hotshot Firefighter. Kenn is a 33-year fire service veteran and is presently a fire hand crew supervisor for the California Department ofContinue reading “Guest Commentary: National Wildland Fire Management Policy and Firefighter Deaths…more rhetoric, no solutions”
Tag Archives: United States Forest Service
Burned Policy
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves….” Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Act 1, scene 2. Still Playing With Fire It is summer so wildfires are in the news, and this year’s Yarnell Hill and Rim Fires are partially used to hype man-caused global warming. Our fire problem has been a longContinue reading “Burned Policy”
Managing That Wild Natural Look
In 1978, I was just beginning my career with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). I worked in the southern Sierra Nevada range as the Assistant Forest Manager at Mountain Home State Forest. The federally managed 1.2 million acre Sequoia National Forest surrounded the 4800-acre state forest. On most of theContinue reading “Managing That Wild Natural Look”
Preserving California’s old growth
On Wednesday you read that private landowners conduct the majority of timber harvesting in California. This is due to the de facto moratorium placed on timber harvesting within national forests (state and national parks do not allow harvesting except for reasons of public safety). And, perhaps you wondered if old-growth timber could be removed. Well,Continue reading “Preserving California’s old growth”
Science Isn’t Enough: A Forester’s Search for Truth
A presentation on 10 February 2010, by William W. Keye (of the California Licensed Foresters Association) given at the UC/USFS Pre- and Post Wildfire Conference. You may get the PDF version (with the visuals) of his talk here: http://ucanr.org/sites/Prepostwildfire/files/3765.pdf _____ In looking over the agenda preparing for this talk I must tell you thatContinue reading “Science Isn’t Enough: A Forester’s Search for Truth”
California’s Deforestation Due to Wildfire
This is a map of the National Forests in California. These forests comprise about half of the forestland in California. The Forest Service graphic below shows the results of the 2000-2009 fire season in California. About 1% of California’s fires chalk up 90% of the total acreage burned. Half a million acres that had theContinue reading “California’s Deforestation Due to Wildfire”
Nullius in Verba 