Re-Examining “Wilderness” in the Era of Megafires
Planting trees for timber, failing to prescribe burn the forests, and suppressing all fires for more than a century are all examples of failed land management policies. By keeping humans out of “wilderness” we are causing more harm than good. We should be tending the garden, thinning our fuels, preserving what’s left of our forests. But how do we achieve such massive forest clearing if machines and semi-permanent human habitation are federally illegal in “wilderness”? Either our wilderness laws change to adapt with the times, or our culture has to change such that all plainclothes citizens are personally thinning the forests they call home in partnership with local organizations. So which will it be?
Defining Sustainability
Sustainability means meeting our needs today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. We are consuming resources and ecosystem services faster than they can be regenerated, and we are polluting our environment faster than nature can clean, filter, and dilute our waste. We have to change the way we consume, as well as the products we consume. Otherwise, we leave nothing for our offspring.