Steve Pyne, the author of several books on the history of wildland fire, has posted on his Arizona State University web site an essay in which he looks at the past and into the future. Here is an excerpt:
“…The reason is that the primary driver of the American fire scene is not amenable to technical fixes and funding. It’s about how Americans live on their land. It’s about values. This is where the National Cohesive Strategy, which could act for the American fire community as a new treaty might for the EU, should help. Unfortunately the Cohesive Strategy puts science at its core when the reality is politics. The fire scene is not about positive knowledge; it’s about choices, and values chosen get sorted out by politics. We’re talking about the public estate and public safety. If those aren’t matters for democratic politics, what is? The decisive issue is not whether our science is good enough, but whether our politics is.”
Measure with a Micrometer, Mark it with Chalk, and cut it with a Chainsaw!
Johnny, you have to understand.This essay is an excellent example of the truism
that PhD’s only write for oher PhD’s.
I wonder of Pyne still thinks Smokejumpers have outlived their usesfulness and belong in a museum next to the Cavalry?
Science knows what we need to do to control the wildfire problem but science only points the way.
Our nation is rich enough to afford anything it wants. Our nation is not rich enough to afford everything it wants.
If our nation wants to control wildfires, it has to decide collectively to do that at the expense of other things our nation also wants.
We haven’t decided that controlling wildfires is a national priority. Until we do, the problem will continue.
Dr. Gabbert, I sort of understood what you where saying? Could the Wildfire Today Intel Team decode what Mr. Pyne report was trying to convey? Any words over six letters starts confusing fire fighters, eight letters in a word forget it.
I know what you mean, Johnny. I had to read the article three times before I could begin to understand it.