I envision a future where we work with nature instead of against it. This includes the way in which we "fight" forest fires which have always a natural part of forest lifecycles.
There are so many factors which have made the forest fires of today qualitatively different (hotter and bigger) from those of the past, such as climate change and the way in which we fight forest fires by trying to prevent them all together. This means that there is more fuel and more heat in the today's forests creating the "perfect storm" for huge aggressive wildfires.
Burning our way out of this problem may just be the solution! Controlled burns help to reduced the amount of dry, dead litter on the forest floor and when done in a controlled way can help preserve the structures that many people are concerned about. Let's spread the word about controlled burns and how they can help us to create a much less smokey future!
Also, it is important to keep in mind that while the big uncontrolled forest fires that we have been seeing in BC have burned through so many of our gorgeous adult trees, controlled ones are much smaller and do less of this long term damage. This means that we could prevent big forest fires and maintain the beauty and diversity of BC's ecosystem at the same time:)
Here's a picture I took last September up at an old forest fire lookout after some of the big fires in 2021. You can see some of the black burned regions in the back of the photo near the horizon. I really hope that this forest fire challenge can be mediated through controlled burns and other sustainability efforts, since it would be such a shame to lose more of the invaluable ecosystems and breathtaking beauty of BC.
I think it's a good selling point for controlled-burns that you mentioned - how because controlled burns are smaller they're more likely to save some of the big beautiful and biodiversity-enriching trees that currently occupy the forest!
Hi Sofie! I really enjoyed reading your post! Thank you for inserting your photo - it definitely shows the damage that a forest fire can have on beautiful mature trees. Your suggested intervention of prescribed fires is a great way to ensure that such damage is either very limited or hopefully, does not occur at all!
Great photo, it shows so much of the aspect that one can't see when stuck in the city. Honestly, controlled burns are quite a novel concept, especially to the general public. Of course our leaders and people at the forefront in fighting these things have lots of knowledge, but we should have people who are most likely impacted by these things educated as well. There are already ads in the summer about fire etiquette which is a good start.
Great post and picture! I agree with you that control burns are key to preventing the bigger, uncontrollable fires.
I love the title of your post, and you raise a super important issue! I would extend this to look through an environmental justice lens and suggest that engaging with Indigenous practitioners who rely on millennia of knowledge about controlled burning: check out this article about Indigenous Fire Management!