An Ounce of Prevention.....

Over the last few weeks, it has been really hard to listen, watch, or even read the news. It just seems that there is not much good happening lately, or at least little that is being reported on. Why would it be reported on, it doesn't earn ratings. One of the stories that has been covered extensively is the Yarnell Fire that killed 19 firefighters in Arizona. This tragedy has spurred conversations of safety strategy when it comes to how to fight and extinguish wild fires.

But an revelations from the 2014 Obama budget this week has left me a little confused and reinforces my thoughts that we are not taking the steps that are needed to advance our society and build a better future. This week it was revealed that there will be a 31% reduction in the Hazardous Fuels Reduction Plan. More on this in a minute, but for now, a little bit of history.

For those of you not in the environmental sciences or unaware of the US Forestry Service's policy for most of the previous century, all forest fires were bad. There was a major lack of understanding of how crucial fires are to many ecosystems around the country. So the policy was, no fire, at all. This meant no prescribed burns and not letting small fires posing no threat to life or property, be allowed to burn. What then happened over the century, was the accumulation of fuel in the form of fallen trees, saplings, and tree litter to accumulate. For example, if a fire burned traditionally burned through a area every twenty years it eliminated the fuel that could build up. If we have had 100 years of fire suppression then there is 5 times the amount of fuel, creating a condition for a catastrophic event.

But over the last 30 years or so, the policy has changed. Let small fires burn, and even start a few prescribed ones to remove fuel. We can even see this change of attitude in Smokey the Bear's famous saying, "Only you can prevent wildfires." When I was young it used to  be, "Only you can prevent forest fires." We have a much greater understanding how the role  that fire plays in these ecosystems.

So that brings me back to the new budget. From the AP:

       "Meanwhile, the Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program has seen funding go from $421 million         in 2002 to $500 million last year. When those numbers are adjusted for inflation, it is actually a slight decrease. This year's automatic budget cuts have reduced the funding even further to $419 million. The Obama administration is proposing to slash the total to $292 million next year.

That's frustrated Western lawmakers, who pushed to include an extra $200 million to clear downed trees and other potential fire fuels in the version of the farm bill that passed the Senate earlier this year. But it's unclear whether the provision will clear the House.

Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell told the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee earlier this month that putting out fires is consuming an increasing share of his agency's budget."

What is happening is that the funds that would go to removing this accumulated fuel are being used more and more to fight the fires that are burning more intense because of the fuel.


But I don't want to make the post about wildfires. I want to use it as an example of the lack of foresight and stubbornness that this country seems to be experiencing at the moment. A freshman congressman/woman has just two years to do something that keeps them in office. And for many, that means something relevant to the moment. And with just two fire seasons to form a policy, protecting a few homes now is a safer bet than the hundreds more saved over the following ten years. But it highlights an issue that goes way beyond forest fires. Fossil fuels or renewable energy sources, better designed cities and infrastructure or more concrete and steel for more roads (which just encourages more cars to get on these roads rendering the "improvements" pointless, 836/826 interchange!!!???) , less synthetic fertilizer on crops or this year's yield. Tired of environmental examples? Steady but slightly slower growth or sub-prime mortgages, ensuring a strong middle class or concentrating wealth in a minute percent of the population,  compromising on public policy or being so deadlocked that nothing gets done, letting the will of the population run the country or corporations lobbying to influence decisions.

Innovation is what has driven the country for so long. But when we fail to back up those smart plans that enhance innovation, maybe not in the immediate future, we limit what could be. Instead we focus on now and take a lesser version for immediate gratification to satisfy us. I am not saying that we shouldn't work for a better now, no that is foolish. I am saying that we can work for a better now and a much better future.

As for the fire budget, nothing is set in stone yet. There are still several rounds of negotiating to be done. So we shall see.

~B