British Columbia has surpassed the record in area of forest lost to wildfires- and the fires are still burning. We've been saying for years that aspen, the so called "pest" that is eliminated by herbicide spraying, doesn't burn as much, especially when its leaves are out. Every hectare herbicide sprayed is a hectare that will be more vulnerable to forest fires. Every hectare sprayed is a hectare of fire break on our landscape that is lost. This is just another reason why we need to immediately halt this practice, and let our forests grow as nature intended. Herbicide spraying is done to accelerate the growth of pine trees primarily. What good is that when they all go up in flames? Above is a picture from a government study that shows an experimental test plot divided between aspen dominated and spruce/pine dominated forest. Look closely at the image on the lower right. The aspen section stopped a roaring fire dead in its tracks. Let's utilize this amazing tree in the face of hotter summers and more vicious fires. To do that, let's get the word out. Bug your friends, share this picture widely, and help us hit 5000 signatures! http://nofc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/bookstore_pdfs/31539.pdf