| |
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
|
|
Guest Commentary: May 18, 2001
Funding, Preventive Measures Needed to Fight Forest Fires
The Honorable Chris Cannon
|
In the last eight years my home and the homes of my neighbors have been threatened by fire on the mountain behind our town in Mapleton. I want to thank the heroic, hard working Federal firefighters for how they fought those infernos. My home is in the mouth of a canyon that has a strong and regular evening wind. Had the fire reached the canyon it would have been like a huge blowtorch. Many Utahns have shared the same concerns. We have a lot of homes located along the hundreds of miles of the urban/public lands interface.
Our ways of thinking about fire have shifted in recent years. We understand the benefits of fires in the natural cycles of our public lands. The beautiful areas where we live, the parks and forests that we enjoy, can benefit from reducing the fire risk by reducing fuel loads, prescribed burns, and educating people on fire safety.
To undertake these prevention measures, the Forest Service must first consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ensuring that there will be no adverse effects to animals and especially endangered species. Unfortunately, the USFWS lacks the money to do what is needed.
H.R. 581 will allow the Forest Service to reimburse the Fish and Wildlife Service for their consultations.
Last year, many of the western states, including Utah, experienced some of the worst forest fires in history. Utah's current fire conditions look similar to last year's. According to the National Forest Service, most of the state is at high and very high risk of fire danger. Last year nearly 2,000 fires in Utah burned 228,000 acres of land. In Utah County alone, over 3,200 acres of land were destroyed by 57 fires.
Preventive actions can help save our lands as well as better allocate the taxpayer money spent on putting out fires. The Yellowstone fire of 1988 cost the nation $120 million to fight. Only a fraction of that amount would have been needed for prevention. As prescribed, controlled fire costs about $50 an acre. In a wilderness fire this cost for fighting the fire alone increases to between $200-$400 an acre. That does not include the cost of lost timber, wildlife, or ecological damage.
Simply reducing the built-up fuel load that grew during years of fire suppression can have a significant effect on reducing fire danger.
Educating people on fire safety is a key issue as well. In Utah, 60-70% of the fires are either accidentally or intentionally started by humans, Most of these could be avoided with proper understanding.
We must make funding for responsible fire practices a priority. This will improve the sense of serenity for my family, the constituents who I serve, and the many people who live on or near our public lands.
Note: This column has been adapted from the extension of remarks by Rep. Cannon on the floor of the House, May 9, 2001.
 How to contact Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT)
Reading a past guest commentary? Click here for the current one.
|
|
|
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
