By Linda Kor–
With the Wallow Fire raging through more than 389,000 acres in northeastern Arizona, District 5 State Representative Brenda Barton and Senator Sylvia Allen are questioning whether nonfeasance is the true root cause of the fire, currently the second most catastrophic fire in Arizona’s history.
“My heart is broken for the loss Arizona is suffering today,” Barton said. “And I am filled with righteous anger at those responsible for this terrible disaster. This did not have to be.”
In 2010, Barton and Allen toured the region of Big Lake to see first hand the forest conditions in the area. They noted that the lands maintained by the Apache Tribe and the State of Arizona were properly cleaned and cleared, while in comparison the condition of federally managed lands were what they called “deplorable.”
“The Wallow Fire is further evidence that our current system of managing our forests is simply not working,” Allen said. “To the contrary, the federal government’s policies for protecting spotted owls and goshawks are wreaking devastation, destroying homes, and threatening lives, communities and our economy throughout northern Arizona, and the owls and goshawks are no better protected.”
“An overcrowded forest not only is a significant fire hazard, but it chokes the watershed, and makes hunting by native predators such as the owl nearly impossible. One thing is for sure, who needs a spotted owl management program after this fire,” Barton commented.
Barton stated that for over a decade, residents and civic leaders in Arizona’s mountain communities have been imploring the U.S. Forest Service to adopt a more pro-active approach to forest management; one that allows for an aggressive program to clean and clear the forest floor.
According to Barton, compounding the management problem is the refusal of the Forest Service to allow previously burned lands, such as those remaining from the 2004 Willow Fire near Payson, to be cleared and cleaned, allowing this debris to build up, become dry and fuel future wildfires.
Allen called on the Forest Service to move forward with the Four Forests Restoration Initiative, whereby the Forest Service contracts with private industry to do mechanical thinning.
“The only way we’re going to restore our forests is to involve private industry, which will absorb the costs while responsibly thinning the forest, so we don’t have any more of these enormous fires,” said Allen. “It saves the taxpayers money, creates jobs and protects us from these devastating wildfires.”
