My hope, beyond the threat of minimal damage from mudslides, is that someday the Smokey Bear syndrome will be cured.
Many ecosystems, particularly prairie, savanna, chaparral and coniferous forests, have evolved with fire as an essential contributor to habitat vitality and renewal. Many plant species in fire-affected environments require fire to germinate, establish, or to reproduce. Wildfire suppression not only eliminates these species, but also the animals that depend upon them.
Very pertinent post, halk. You can add the longleaf pine ecosystem to those that need fire to thrive, and for the hundreds of species that thrive in it.
Controlled burns aren't popular in places in California, but they are needed to keep the fuel from building up to catastrophic levels.
I grieve for the dead and deprived, and hope that wiser heads replace those who have suppressed controlled burns for so long.
SRH
