The West is on fire again and we're seeing the awkward intersection of forestry management (many management decisions are made by the Department of Agriculture as trees are considered a crop)and fire suppression. You can't really debate policy when you're cutting line or dropping water.

We've pushed forest ecology too far out of balance and our attempts to establish equlibrium have been clumsy. With the best of intentions to safely ignite a prescribed burn, fire officials in New Mexico lost thousands of acres early this summer. In many cases we know more about extinguishing fire than we do about setting it.

There are no easy answers here. We need more fire, we need more firefighters. My sympathies are with the folks on the fire line, the folks trying to make good policy, and those seeing their homes endangered.

It's only August. The peak of the fire season won't arrive for another month.

If you're in the urban/wildland interface, maintain a defensable space around your house, and be ready to bug out as soon as you're asked. Thank you for your support.

Dave