A Burning Problem

By U.S. Senator Jon Kyl The February fire that consumed over 4,000 acres of Tonto National Forest in Arizona highlights our ongoing struggle to adequately prepare for and expeditiously suppress wildfires. It also shows the need to significantly increase the amount of forest acres treated by mechanical thinning and prescribed burning. Had it not been for the previous treatments (and burned areas) in parts of the fires path, the damage would have been far worse. Proactive management of our forests not only is the best tool in combating wildfires, it is critical to restoring forest health and improving habitat for diverse species. To foster more treatment and determine the best method for each area, I succeeded in getting Congress to authorize the creation of the Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) at Northern Arizona University. Under the direction of Dr. Wally Covington, ERI has identified thousands of acres of forest that desperately need treatment and worked with interested parties to remove objections that frequently delay these projects. Typically, there are two methods of treatment: · Mechanical treatments include thinning of brush and smaller diameter trees, opening up forests that otherwise could burn too hot, causing crown fires; · Prescribed burning -- burning fires under controlled conditions -- which can reduce the fine fuels that spread wildfires. These treatments are most effective when combined into a comprehensive approach to stopping wildfires. Take for example the February fire as it approached the Bray Creek Ranch located north of Payson, below the Mogollon Rim. Over 2,500 acres, including 44 acres around the Bray Creek Ranch, had been mechanically treated in 2003; a prescribed burn was administered around the immediate area in 2005. This treated zone is sometimes to as the fuel break. Crews at the Bray Creek Ranch reported that flames could be spotted a half mile away, with the fire burning in heavy fuels. As the fire approached the fuel break, the flaming front dropped to the ground as it reached the northeast portion of the fuel break. Fire crews were able to safely defend the Bray Creek Ranch until the fire moderated. The fire burned around the fuel break, and the Bray Creek Ranch did not suffer any structural loss. Fuel treatments like the ones at Bray Creek show that with a robust, proactive approach, wildfires can be confined and effectively suppressed. These treatments, however, can be costly and require a tremendous amount of resources to implement, and it is the Forest Service that makes the final decisions about where to treat. Last week, I urged Mark Rey, U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, to redirect federal funds from the Northwest (which has had a wet winter) to the dry Southwest in recognition that ours will be a long, dangerous fire season. I have also expressed to President Bush that funds for firefighting and forest-thinning treatments generally are not adequate in the proposed 2007 budget. We must target federal forest-protection resources to the areas that are most at risk of catastrophic wildfires. I was pleased Secretary Rey has already pre-positioned the bulk of resources (crews, aircraft, etc.) to Arizona, since were likely to need them here before theyre needed elsewhere. Everyone has a role to play in protecting our precious forests. Be careful this spring, and support future forest-management programs. Sen. Kyl serves on the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees and chairs the Republican Policy Committee. Visit his website at www.kyl.senate.gov.