Investing in forest management and proactive fuel treatments-thinning and controlled burns-could save up to three times the cost of future fires while reducing severe fires by 75 percent and benefiting people, water and wildlife, a recent study by three forest groups, including the U.S. Forest Service, found.
The study simulated the paths of future fires in the central Sierra Nevada. It examined what the endgame was if the fires had or did not have fuel to burn. The obvious, but crucial, conclusion was that neglected forests are ticking infernos whose destruction doesn't just affect woody ecosystems but tax dollars and life.
"Recent megafires in California and the West have destroyed lives and property, degraded water quality, damaged wildlife habitat, and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars," said David Edelson, Sierra Nevada project director with The Nature Conservancy. "This study shows that, by investing now in Sierra forests, we can reduce risks, safeguard water quality and recoup up to three times our initial investment while increasing the health and resilience of our forests."
Last year, the U.S. Forest Service spent $1 billion to cover firefighting shortfalls.
