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Show Editorial . . . Forest Service Silk Purse Is Still a Sow's Ear The conclusion of a review team assigned to study the Indian Trail Bench fire on Dixie National Forest on Boulder Mountain, that the benefits from the blaze far outweighed the damages is not surprising, since the review team was made up of Forest Service personnel. And while the team's conclusion that over $l-million in direct benefits will result from the burn (vs the $350,000 cost to suppress the fire) , it seems that glossing over the J whole thing by saying it was better I that it happened than not, hardly I follows good management practices. The fact that the fire, originally a "controlled burn" got away from personnel is, to a degree, understandable. The report states that unexpected high altitude winds broke a convection column of heat and smoke, causing scattered burning embers in a deep canyon beyond the project boundary, This is understandable, too. And we do not question the ability or efforts of personnel fighting the fire in doing an excellent job in controlling the blaze. But the Forest Service's attempt to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse is typical government procedure in making black white, or in this case making green black and calling it beneficial. We do not doubt the Forest Service's evaluation as to the probable long-term benefits to the land, in- eluding reseeding and the probable increase in forage production, as a result of the burn. But looking at the incident from a different viewpoint, would there be the same justification for a situation which clearly has to be blamed on the Forest Service itself? For example, suppose the fire had gotten into heavy timber stands with high losses of production and little chance of production for future use for many years? Or suppose the fire had moved into bordering private property, damaging rangelands. homes, or buildings? True, it didn't, and true, it was confined to an area which the Forest Service claims "needed" the burn anyway, even though it wasn't planned. The Forest Service is mighty lucky that the blaze was contained in the area where it was. But to have a Forest Service evaluation team study a Forest Service project which was a forest Service mistake and turn it into a glowing report of greatness seems a bit incongruous with both good management and planning. Since the Forest Service is charged 'with administration of forest lands, we doubt not their intentions in the controlled burn to increase production of the Indian Trail Bench area. But we highly question their conclusion of their own people making their own problem turn into something which is almost better than if it were planned that way. |
