At the end of August 2020 there were at least 77 large complexes of wildfires burning in 15 states across the United States. Almost a third of them in California.

The many damaging forest fires around the U.S. are, in great part, the result of 75 years of Smokey the Bear, emotionally-driven forest management. Some have termed adherents to these forest management philosophies as “nature fakers”. It is a “hands-off” approach resulting in the suppression of naturally caused forest fires and the unnatural build up of forest debris, and fuels. In a season of high temperature, such as we are in now, the results can be devastating to the ecosystem, lives, and property.

Myopic, anthropomorphic forest management is not a good policy nor a strategy that benefits the forest ecosystem. Creating human-like characteristics or fictional personas in trees and other forest populations, such as Smokey the Bear, does not result in a healthy forest ecosystem. It only makes fire the enemy.

People, bears, deer, and other such critters are only a small part of a comprehensive forest management plan. There is as much “forest” below the soil as there is above. As a professional forester for over 20 years I wrote and executed management plans on large, private landholdings that were surrounded by State, Federal, Tribal, and other private lands. I can testify that it is a very complex process ecologically and relationally.

Should emotions have a role? Sure. They can give us a meaningful connection to other creatures, including trees. This empathy can be healthy and helps us care for other living creatures and systems. But creating a comprehensive management plan that places emotion in its proper, controllable and helpful position in the plan is necessary. When emotion is the overriding governing policy, the result in a natural ecosystem can be devastating.

Nobody likes to see living things die. However, in our current “fallen” ecosystem (world) death is a necessary part of life. Trees are biological systems with natural life and death stages, and cycles. Each stage, each completed cycle benefits a healthy forest ecosystem.

Best Management Practices are not myopic or overly emotional. Fire is a necessary part of a healthy ecosystem and can be productive, not damaging with proper management.

Time to put Smokey back in the forest where he belongs!

Mike