"Limb your trees 10 feet from the ground"

Let's talk politics. We as the civilians must start talking about these politics soon, because silence and division will solve NOTHING. Those who control your tax dollars; they want us silent and divided. If we are going to fix some of the critical problems in this nation, such as wildfire defense, we MUST end the division and start talking about things that might make us uncomfortable- such as politics.

It's not as simple as clearing ten feet up the trees and taking a few bushes out here or there. Take a look at the videos from the recent fires in California. Most of the trees in those neighborhoods actually were limbed up; No kidding. In fact, for many areas only the ground or structures burned while the canopy of the trees and some vegetation remained. Houses were built to code and they still ignited. There were lawns cut as short as they could be, and they still ignited. It was just the right conditions to overcome our conventional current fire/fuel mitigation measures.

We now live in an era with fire conditions that we're not used to historically, so our traditional protocols for fire safety need to be updated. In the area of Paradise CA, short-cut & well manicured lawns (bone dry), still ignited. This was due to drought induced water use restrictions/prices mixed with the high winds, dry RH, and exponentially growing dead fuel loading conditions in that area. We have the exact same set-up just waiting to happen in many of our Oregon communities. This was a rare event for Paradise, but it's  nearly happened before; just as recently as 2008. I was there, and we saved many of the homes that are now gone. The 2008 fire while intense, was nothing compared to this one.

The problem this time? The forest (public and private lands) outside of the city, was left improperly managed. The fire got established several miles outside of the city. By the time it got to Paradise (very quickly), it was spotting out (throwing fire) 3 miles in front if it due to the voracious intensity; on improperly managed urban interface areas just outside of the city. By the time the fire hit the fuel breaks on the edges of town, thousands of firebrands were simultaneously starting thousands of spot fires as they were raining down on the drought stricken community of Paradise. This community had a program which kept many of the trees in the community 'limbed up 10 feet from the ground' and thinned out with vegetation kept away from most houses. People in this community were very "firewise"... But most houses burned anyways.

Believe it or not, Paradise and Redding CA had actually taken many steps utilizing programs similar to the firewise program in Central Oregon. Paradise had been through it before and they thought they were prepared by raking their needles, thinning and limbing the trees, and planting minimal plants around their structures. They even did some limited prescribed burning around the community; just like the fire prevention and fuels management measures in Oregon. The fire protection in Paradise reminds me a lot of the areas around central Oregon- Sisters, Sunriver, DRW, La Pine, and a few more.. You know.. "We want to keep our tree's, but we'll limb them up and be safe, right?" Let Paradise and Redding California be the judge of that.

Solution: Larger urban interface zoning. The urban interface is getting larger, especially when fires like these can't be slowed down by our current fuels treatment methodology. We must hold agency and land owners responsible/accountable for fuels maintenance and management on their respective lands. The forest service is under-funded and over-burdened.

With the insignificant amount of funding congress allocates to our public land agencies, our forests will never come close to receiving the treatment they need to be safe from unstoppable wildfires, prolific diseases, and the pathogenicity of invasive plant species will continue into epidemic levels. If we as a collective nation wanted to; in ten years we could have our forests to a more ecologically healthy, safe, and productive state for all interest groups. We could actually do that, but more of us need to realize and implement the solutions that will create more success in forest management.

We MUST allocate $50 billion a year for the next ten years, and dedicate a program similar to the Civilian Conservation Corps that would get the massive fuels reduction task done. After the ten years, we'd continue to allocate a minimum of $20 billion a year for continued forest maintenance. This isn't a one treatment deal; it's forever, constant, and large scale. Think about the jobs that will be created with the money evenly distributed among a labor force that would spend the money right here- in America. What a concept; don't you agree?

Compare the following examples in our current state of government funding prioritization:

Forest fire & management funding:

Example A- 'The bill sets aside more than $20 billion over 10 years to allow the Forest Service and other federal agencies end a practice of raiding non-fire-related accounts to pay for wildfire costs, which approached $3 billion last year' - So that's $20 billion in funding, for ten years.

Source: http://www.wildlandfirefighter.com/2018/03/22/congressional-spending-bill-included-wildfire-disaster-fund/

War funding:

Example B- '(NDAA 2019) is a United States federal law which specifies the budget, expenditures and policies of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for fiscal year 2019. President Donald J. Trump signed the $717 billion Fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act' - That's $717 billion for one year.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2019

We have hundreds of citizens and dozens of firefighting personnel dying each year in our homeland due to improperly managed and underfunded forests. Our communities right here at home are being reduced to ash and rubble- reminiscent of scenes from 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. There is real life death and destruction to communities right here at home.

We haven't been attacked by a true foreign nation since Pearl Harbor, over 75 years ago. Yet all of that $717B (annually and growing each year) goes to war and "defense" funds. We need to defend our homeland, first.

As a people who just forfeit our money in taxes out of fear of imprisonment, we generally feel powerless and voiceless to where those funds are spent; That is the KEY problem that must be fixed first. We are not voiceless- do not forget that. Most of us are just uncomfortable using our voices loudly.

What those of us who are willing to speak up should be telling everyone else is: "Each year our communities are fighting losing battles in the war against fuels management due to under-funded forest management. Hundreds of our citizens are dying each year in our country because of it. We MUST spend more of our 'defense' funds defending our country by reducing the forest fuels and preventing catastrophic wildfires. More of defense funds need to go where they can actually save lives, property, and help protect our county's citizens and homes; rather than in foreign involvement and agenda. We can't seem to win those "wars" anymore anyways, so really, and I mean honestly; what's the point?

Do you want to restore forest health? Do you want to help save lives? Do you want to see more of our tax dollars spend on USA soil? Write your congressman. Tell them to put some of us thirty-thousand laid off seasonal wildland firefighters to work each winter thinning and burning our forests properly. Fuels need to be cleared in the forest, fire needs to be re-applied as all forests ecosystems depend on it, and seasonal firefighters (and others) would love the full time year round employment; believe me!

For landowners and insurance companies, there are solutions- If you own that 10, 20, 50, or 80 acre parcel between the housing communities where people live and the over-loaded beetle-killed forest on the other side, then it's important to be a responsible manager of that urban interface zone, and keep the fuels professionally maintained on that property- including the grasses. If you or someone you know ever needs help with that, you can always check out professional forestry services like right here at Peak Forestry by visiting the services page.

KLONDIKE FIRE BECOMES A 'CONFLAGRATION,' FORCES EVACUATIONS

Scappoose wildland firefighter dies of pneumonia

Lake County wildfire explodes to over 1,000 acres

Watson Creek Fire shuts FS roads, recreation areas

Heat signature on Infrared Ch. 2 (fog) w/ Fire Enhancement satellite image from Klondike / Taylor Fires in SW Oregon on Firday August 10th, around 5 pm. Several other fires are visible as well, including the Carr Fire still burning near Redding California.

Smoke fills the sky across Oregon and the rest of the country.. again

Visible Satellite Image from Friday August 10th, 5 pm

Tragedy Strikes the Fire Community

Second firefighter killed, thousands of homes in Redding threatened

29,000-acre wildfire burns structures near The Dalles

Fire in Maury Mountains grows to 1,000 acres

ERC Graph for Central Oregon showing ten day trend (blue) into historical maximum ERC values.

ERC Graph for Western Oregon showing ten day trend (blue) into historical maximum ERC values.

ERC Graph for South East Oregon showing ten day trend (blue) into historical maximum ERC values.

100 hour fuel moisture graph for Central Oregon showing ten day trend (blue) into historical minimum fuel moisture percentiles.

100 hour fuel moisture graph for Western Oregon showing ten day trend (blue) into historical minimum fuel moisture percentiles.

100 hour fuel moisture graph for South East Oregon showing ten day trend (blue) into historical minimum fuel moisture percentiles.

4th of July Fire at Pilot Butte knocks out power to 27 thousand

Warm Springs wildfire grows to 800 acres

Lobster Creek Fire Breaks out 12 miles NE of Gold Beach Oregon in Heavy Logging Slash and Timber. Began 07/01/18 and as of 07/03/2018 is already at 446 acres.

Crews stop 10 acre brush fire that threatened homes SW of Redmond

Central Oregon wildfire season off to busy start

New Central Oregon Fire Info website launches

Boxcar Fire nearly 100,000 acres, 60 pct. contained

Wildfire near Rufus mostly contained

Graham Fire: Three Rivers still under evacuation order

More high fire activity expected in the area

Two new wildfires on Warm Springs Reservation

LEFT- Wildfire breaks out west of Cove Palisades

BELOW- Boxcar Fire in Maupin OR 6/21/18