Coffee Musings - 102107

I'm reading a new book Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorem of 1894 by Daniel James Brown.

So, in the midwest during the late 1800s a lot of white pine was cut because white pine was obliterated in the northeast by lumber companies. Because of the weather conditions in the summers the midwest experienced ongoing forest fires. Usually they were manageable, but as evidenced by that link above some were devasting.

If we look at the 1800s midwestern history from a forestry business management issue it is easy to apply the same principles to California and the southwest. In other words in over 100 years forestry business has not learned a lesson. If trees are cut down then the land has to be maintained so that the heat, and wind do not have food for fire. From reading this book, and knowing very little of clearcutting, it seems that the number of forest fires in the southwest that rountinely happen during the summer could decrease with proper management that should have been learned during the midwestern summers 100 years ago. Who didn't learn the basic principles of heat/wind/dry wood = fire and is responsible for the forestry business? That person should read this book, just as primer. If you want the land to help you, you have to help the land.