Thank you, Environmental Wackoes for Arizona Burning: Forestry Policy is Hampered by Politics

Arizona Republic ^ | 6/24/2002 | Mary Jo Pitzl

[RooRoobird14]

The fires ravaging northeast Arizona are incinerating the world's largest contiguous area of ponderosa pine, Gov. Jane Hull said Sunday. But it didn't have to be this way.

That's because for the past century, the United States has let its forests grow thick with underbrush, creating lush, rustic landscapes that, with the right conditions, can turn into potent tinderboxes.

[RooRoobird14]

300,000+ acres on fire, 0% containment as of today, fire likely to be out of control for 2-3 more weeks.

Thank-you for NOTHING, you environmental-wacko, dope-smoking, qualude-buzzed tree-hugging maggots!!!

[goldstategop]

They like to see nature burn. Why the enviro wackos think it looks aesthetic is beyond me.

[RooRoobird14]

Actually, a spokeperson for the Sierra Club did come on local TV yesterday and said residents whose homes had burned were to blame, because after all they built their homes in the forest (not joking).

[Kerberos]

" In an interview Sunday with KTAR-AM (620), he said the Forest Service spends 40 percent of its annual budget defending itself against environmental groups."

Unbelievable.

[goldstategop]

The tree hugger set wants people to love nature... from the distance. This comment from the Sierra Club spokesperson reflects this misanthrophic attitude of the enviro wackos towards any one who truly loves nature and wants to live close to it. They have a funny way of showing their reverence for the environment.

[Lil'freeper]

The only good thing about this disaster is that fire supression policies and lack of management is finally getting some press. It is about time that these things are being heard and thought about by the 'average' Americans who look to the mainstream press as credible sources of info (I'm sure KTAR is still the liberal news-talk station it was when I lived there). And how deliciously ironic that the enviro-wackos are the ones guilty of screwing up mother nature.

[Pushi]

I was wondering where the rage is. We have to keep this thing going. I live in NM and know how bad it has gotten. What about the spotted owls in that 300,000+ acres that has burned in Arizona already? And, the nearly 200,000 acres burned in NM last year? And, the fires in California, Oregon, Colorado, and everywhere else. The owl habitat was really saved, wasn't it? This folly is enough to make the spotted owl disappear from the earth. From a rational environmental view point, can you even imagine the toll that this has taken on all wildlife, not to mention humanlife and its habitat. This is disgraceful. There should be damage lawsuits filed against the environmentalist groups. They should be held responsible for their obstructionism. This comes from a true animal lover.

[Stand Watch Listen]

Related article

Clean Up These Forests,' Arizona Governor Says [re: poor forest management ]
source: CNSNews.com Published: June 24, 2002

(CNSNews.com) - As the worst wildfire in Arizona history looks ready to consume the town of Show Low, Arizona Gov. Jane Hull is blaming poor forest management for the disaster. "I know this country and I have never seen anything like this fire," Hull said on Sunday. "Mother Nature is saying to Arizona, to the West, that we have to clean up these forests. I hope the message gets across that we need to clean these forests." Forests in Arizona, Colorado and other western states are full of dead wood and underbrush, the result of policies that dictate the immediate suppression of all forest fires. Instead of burning periodically, the underbrush has accumulated to the point where firefighters are helpless to stop the flames. On top of that, some critics blame environmentalists for blocking timber harvests. More fuel equals more flames. In Arizona, where two wildfires have now merged, some 322,000 acres have burned since last Tuesday and about 180 homes have been destroyed. Eight thousand people in Show Low have fled their homes. As of Monday morning, heavy ash fell on the town, where the first house to burn was owned by a firefighter, wire services reported.

[SpinyNorman]

Isn't the country ready for an "anti-Sierra" club?

Doesn't the country need the equivalent of an SNL Point/Counterpoint Dan Ackroyd saying to the tree huggers, "Sierra club, you ignorant sluts?"

I think so. ;-)

[Myrddin]

People who have lost homes should file suit against the environmental groups. Thousands of suits. Make the due dates so close together that there is no way to avoid defaulting by failure to appear. Drain the wackos of all their funds.

[RooRoobird14]

What the Greenie @ssh*les need is to have massive class-action lawsuits filed against THEM by home and land owner victims of these wildfires.

[PhiKapMom]

Bumping and agreeing! Time to go after them!

[Pushi]

I live about 225 miles east of the fire. Today in NM we almost have no sun--Arizona is in the way as it passes over. Our normal visibility is 100+ miles. Today it is about 5.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

People who have lost homes should file suit against the environmental groups

Forest fires are a part of nature. They have occurred since time immemorial. If you choose to build your house in a forest or near it, be aware of the risk, just like building near a river or beach. Blaming environmentalists for an act of nature is entirely naive. Unless you want to bulldoze every forest in the country and pave it over with cement, you cannot prevent fires.

[goldstategop]

True. The enviro wackos may be nuts when it comes to sound ecological management, but they're not responsible for what happens to people's homes built in wilderness regions. If you choose to live far away from the comforts of civilization, be prepared to assume the risks. That's what comes with the view outside your windows.

[RooRoobird14]

Yes, people who build homes in the forest are taking on a risk that city folks don't take on. Yes, forest fires are a fact of life--nobody is disputing that. The issue is that we have a totally out-of-control wildfire with 322,000+ acres burned and no estimate in sight as to even getting five percent of the fire contained.

A fire of this magnitude hasn't happened in literally 10,000 plus years, and it didn't have to be this big, out of control or devastating. The Forest Service has been trying for years to thin out and clean up the White Mountains forests-- they've been buried by lawsuits filed by environmental terrorists.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I'm there with ya. We were up on Sandia Crest yesterday and couldn't see all the way to the Rio Grande.

[RooRoobird14]

The Sierra Club is opposed to logging, roads and salvage logging and says that these things actually cause more forest fires. It's right here in their own words from "Forest Fires: Beyond the Heat and the Hype":

(http://www.sierraclub.org/logging/report01/ecl01_forestfires.pdf)

"MYTH: Logging helps reduce the risk of forest fires. FACT: Logging itself is a major cause of fires. The Forest Service has concluded in several studies that logging greatly increases the risk and severity of fires.

MYTH: New roads are needed to prevent and suppress forest fires. FACT: Areas with roads often experience more numerous and more intense fires than unroaded areas.

MYTH: Fires are devastating to fish and wildlife habitat. FACT: Forest fires provide habitat, food and nutrients to plants, fish and wildlife living in the forest.

MYTH: Salvage logging after forest fires is needed to remove dead trees to prevent future fires. remove dead trees to prevent future fires. FACT: Trees downed by forest fires provide habitat for wildlife and nutrients needed to help keep forests healthy."

[blackie]

Stop the attacks by the wacko, extreme left-wing, enviro-nazis terrorist's on our Freedoms !!

Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!

Molon Labe !!

[AdA$tra]

What I posted on a similar thread:

This so-called management of the forests has had me screaming for years. The very first thought that came into my head when I saw my first "$10,000.00 fine for picking up sticks in a National Forest" sign about 20 years ago was; "In five years, this place will be a freakin' tinderbox." As long as the tree huggers insist on these so-called "pristine" forests, there will be huge forest fires every summer. Controlled burningand some clear cutting can help a great deal.