| One of the lessons this wildfire
season has taught us is to expect the unexpected. Our season began
earlier than expected, our fires were more resistant to control
than expected, and tens of thousands of people from the US and beyond
worked longer and harder than expected to help deal with fire.
To all of you, my sincere thanks.
Thank you to the men and women who have helped us manage nature’s
elemental force, fire. You have put out 97 percent of new fire starts,
allowing concentrated attention on those that escaped to become
large fires. You have done your work efficiently, effectively, tirelessly,
and most of all safely.
Thank you to the elected officials, administrators, agencies, and
departments – paid and volunteer – whose cooperative
spirit makes this partnership possible. The wildfire job looms too
large for any of us to cope, much less succeed, alone. You have
made the difference.
Thank you to the people in harm’s way. You have made your
homes more defensible. You have evacuated, returned, and in some
cases evacuated again. You have shown genuine appreciation to those
who protected lives and property. In those rare instances where
homes and structures were lost, we all share a sense of loss and
frustration.
Thank you to the reporters and photographers who have helped tell
this fire season’s stories. You have kept people informed
with breaking news from individual fires as well as providing in-depth
discussions of strategy, climate, and weather.
Thank you to the people who live, work, and play in the Northern
Rockies.
You have endured days and nights of smoke-filled valleys. You have
complied with the inconvenience of restrictions and closures. You
have been patient as fire suppression strategy and tactics evolved
with changing conditions. Together, we now understand that these
experiences may be what we expect in the future.
As we continue to experience warmer climates, drier fuels, more
erratic fire behavior, and increasing home construction in the wildland-urban
interface, I still believe we are making progress in reducing wildfire
threats to communities. Once again this year we have seen numerous
examples where fuel treatments significantly moderated fire behavior,
reducing the risk to firefighters and increasing the effectiveness
of our fire suppression efforts. But, to keep pace with the changing
conditions, we need to continue to treat more areas every year.
Since we now expect the unexpected, we should not be surprised
if fire season continues into winter and spring. The flames may
be out, but conditions will be right for ongoing discussions about
prescribed fire, fire response, working and living in fire-prone
areas, restoration needs, and talking about fire less often in terms
of combat and more often in terms of connection. I hope you will
feel encouraged to share your views in those discussions.
Thanks again…for the expected and the unexpected.
Tom Tidwell is the regional forester for the Northern
Region of the U.S. Forest Service, which includes more than 25 million
acres of public land in Montana, Idaho and North Dakota.
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