[E. Pluribus Unum]

Wildfires are a natural part of the ecology. There is an ecological progression after a wildfire. Without wildfires, pine forests would gradually be replaced by hardwood forests. There are species that thrive after a forest fire.

https://wfca.com/wildfire-articles/ecological-succession-after-a-forest-fire/

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Yes, I know. When I made my living fighting fires in the 70s and 80s, forest managers were aware of that even then, and we used fire quite a bit for fuel reduction. Even thinned trees with fire sometimes, though that could get tricky.

But there were decades of old-style put-every-fire-out-right-now forest management to correct, and that still isn’t done and likely will never be. Yes, theoretically it would be possible to groom every wooded area like a city park, so there were no uncontrolled fires at all, but that would cost a great deal more than any organization could pay. In the meantime, nature will catch up on the burning its own way.