One problem with the forest fires out west isn't that there haven't always been large fires --- but that there are expensive homes being built in fire zones ---- billions of dollars are being spent putting out fires because people want to live where forests belong.
We tried that, but y'all kept sneaking back in.
I think it is interesting that posters who live in the area seem to agree that there really is a problem with the Smokies, while others are arguing from a distance that there is nothing to this stuff. Fact is that entire forests at high elevations are dying, for many reasons. Pollution is a problem there, and can be traced to several of the concerns. Also, non-native Russian boar, some odd little bugs, and other things are factors. Visibility is WAY down compared to when I was a kid. Money may not cure them, but there is no denying the existance of a lot of serious problems in the Smokies.