Wildfires: Pointing Fingers as the Fires Rage On

The forest fires that are consuming the western U.S. are the worst in over 50 years and could ultimately prove to be the worst ever recorded. As the fires rage on, environmentalists and the logging industry are at war over who should be blamed for the extent of the damage to the land. The issue is a complicated one, and the convictions of all parties involved are deeply entrenched.

As a result of a renewed environmental consciousness in the White House, legislation applicable to large areas of the western U.S. has decreased logging operations by up to 85%. The logging industry points to this legislation as a misguided attempt by the Clinton administration to "preserve" a resource that they do not understand. Decreased logging, forest entrepreneurs argue, results in the forests becoming tinderboxes and increases the likelihood of the devastating firestorms that are currently destroying land at unspeakable rates. Environmentalists, on the other hand, suggest that the logging industry destroys too many mature trees, which allows the forest floor to dry out and the smaller foliage and young trees ultimately become a "fuel ladder" to the surviving large trees. Experts continue to debate the effects, if any, of the logging industry on the forests of the U.S., while the Clinton administration continues on its environmental crusade.

The recent "road-less land" designation legislation proposed by Clinton would protect 43 million acres of forested land in this country from any form of development. Included within these 43 million acres are some of the forests that are in the most flammable condition. Loggers and other experts have expressed concern over the possibility of fires within these protected areas becoming so powerful that they would endanger areas outside of the reserves. As the fires and the debate continue to burn, the U.S. political machine continues to struggle to find higher ground.