US Forest Service Managers Continue To Purposely Grow Fire, Smoke and Heat

Tragically, even as major destructive wind driven fires are burning in the West, and the fact that it is common knowledge that the fall season produces erratic and quickly changing wind events, US Forest Service Administrators continue their purposeful fire, smoke and heat growth practices without any real oversight, carrying out their harmful policies with impunity.

These dangerous and destructive pollution practices are not based on true science and harm us all, including our children, the very young, the elderly, those who are pregnant, respiratory patients, ranch animals, pets, our cherished wildlife, local and regional recreation, visitors and commerce and drive up insurance rates. They degrade the water quality and clarity of our streams, rivers and lakes.

Largely unknown to the public and press, the US Forest Service has been quietly "growing" fires, smoke and heat with tactics called "Box and Burn", "Minimal Impact Suppression Tactics", and since 1978, engaging in what is known as "Appropriate Suppression Response" (code for growing fires). Please see our past attached update article - ("Behind The Green Curtain of US Wildfire Policy").

Additionally, our timber resources are being purposely destroyed under these USFS policies and usually result in massive post fire logging, with much of our timber resources being shipped to China.

As we speak and even as tragic wind driven fires are occurring in West.....Federal Burn Agencies are purposely growing the Ikes Fire in the Grand Canyon causing significant destruction, pollution and loss of recreation. The fire started on July 25th (95 days ago) and has burned 16,416 acres. 

Additionally, near Lake Tahoe, an escaped "controlled burn", now called the Caples Wildfire continues to be purposefully manipulated has grown from 100 acres of pile burning 30 days ago.... to 3,435 acres and is still not fully contained.

Despite common knowledge that fall winds erratically and quickly change in the Sierra and the West, the US Forest service and their partner burn agencies elected to undertake the Caples "Controlled Burn" and continue to purposely unleash dangerous and toxic smoke and heat on the Sierra and Lake Tahoe communities.

The USFS and State Burn Managers are fully aware that "controlled burns" of this type during the pristine fall region of the Sierras can be easily grown by ever changing wind events. This practice is risky, dangerous and unforgivable. Yet, their excuse for the growth of ongoing Caples wildfire near Lake Tahoe was that the winds changed causing the burn to get "out of control". Really?.... It doesn't get more incompetent than this. 

And, the USFS and their California burn and pollution partners plan to burn even more during this dangerous fall season of unpredictable winds. Few are aware that the Governor of the State of California posted an Executive order in 2018 for California to burn an additional 500,000 acres a year. This may be why we are now seeing examples of state manipulated fire growth on the part of California Fire Managers mimicking the USFS fire manipulation practices of focusing on the priority of protection of structures (as they should).... but also quietly growing fire and pollution through purposeful manipulation on other fronts of a given fire.

What about the potential loss of life and epic pollution from this dangerous and risky behavior and what about the hundreds of thousands of wildlife who are unable to flee the toxic smoke and flame as they suffocate and suffer needlessly dying slowly or maimed at the hands of this USFS must burn, let burn, just let it burn dogma.......Our organization has access to photos of USFS caused burned and injured wildlife but they are too graphic to display here.

And yet, according to the USFS website, the Chief of the US Forest Service has vowed to continue to grow "unplanned" event fires in 2019.

"Unplanned event fires" used to only include naturally caused fires like lightning strikes (but now shockingly, "unplanned" fires are USFS Code for most any fire, natural or man-made and can even include arson fires).

The USFS have been masterful messengers as they conveniently and successfully hide behind, hijack and blame climate change as an excuse for their failed fire suppression and public safety protection and capability policies. This includes their lack of public safety leadership, failing to embrace prevention and aggressive suppression technology, failing to plan for adequate suppression resource achievement and causing skyrocketing insurance costs by continually threatening the public and politicians, "that unless the USFS and it's partners burns more, more will continue to burn".

And, the USFS is actually attempting to change the title of USFS "Firefighters" to Fire "Technicians". That's because fire growth devices like drip torches and sphere igniting devices dropped from helicopters are the preferred fire growth methods as opposed to using, lets say fire retardant aircraft which can easily and efficiently stop the forward movement of most wild land fires.

As we witnessed last summer, this purposeful US Forest Service assault on our clean air systematically clouded major US Western Cities with toxic smoke plumes reaching from the Western US, to as far east as New York. Now, they are doing it again.

Perhaps it's time to consider taking fire suppression away from this "must burn", "just burn", "just let it burn" archaic agency. Perhaps we should give the job of wild land fire protection to a variety of agencies who will place public safety at the top of their priority list.

Tell US Forest Service Administrators to STOP GENERATING TOXIC SMOKE....Stop  Growing Fires....PUT THE FIRES OUT!