Forest and Nature

I take issue with a number of the statements made by the Forest Guardians of Santa Fe in the June 24, 2007, guest column titled “Proceed cautiously with spraying.”

Mr. Bird correctly states that we “are not alone in experiencing severe forest insect outbreaks.” We are also not alone in pursuing a spraying program to control these insects. Examples include programs to keep tent caterpillars from defoliating aspen trees in Colorado, and aerial spraying programs throughout the country to control the gypsy moth.

If the current insect outbreak were occurring in a remote part of the Lincoln, it would be a different matter. There might not be the urgent need to intervene. However, in the present (more…)

Greek firefighters are battling a major forest fire which has threatened the suburbs of the capital, Athens.

The blaze, on the slopes of Mount Parnitha, is being contained, officials say, but a huge plume of black smoke is towering over the city.

Electricity pylons, exploding after a record heatwave, have sparked some of the fires, but arson is also suspected.

The fire near Athens is one of more than 100 blazes which have broken out across Greece in the last few days.
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As I look at images from South Lake Tahoe of smoldering ashes that used to be homes of people I know, I think back a few years to the words a fire captain friend of mine said to me.

“It’s not if we have a catastrophic wildfire in the Tahoe Basin, but when.”

“When” happened last week, and “when” will happen again.

There is no way to prevent forest fires. They are a natural part of forests, and have been long before human beings came along and tried to put them out. (more…)

JAKARTA (Antara): An incident in Maluku occurring when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Ambon (Maluku`s provincia capital) last week showed that a separatist group still posed a serious threat on the unitary state of Indonesia, a legislator has said.

The remarks were made by members of the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission I, Yuddy Crisnandy (Golkar), Effendy Choirie (National Awakening Party) and Chairman of the National Mandate Party faction at DPR Zulkifli Hasan here over the weekend. (more…)

Here I sit, looking down at lovely Lake Tahoe, but also looking down the hill at the fir forest growing ever thicker and more deadly. Fires always burn uphill. If a fire ever starts at the bottom of our hill, we’ll have 10 minutes to escape before the one road out is cut off by the fire. Behind my home, it’s nearly impossible to hike off trail because you have to wade through knee-deep piles of dead branches.

The forest is ready to explode. We have too many trees, but no one dares do anything about it.
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