No. of Recommendations: 18
When I was in my early years - pre-teen and teen - I lived in rural south Mississippi. We were surrounded by pine forests except to the west, where the swamp of the Pearl River changed the environment.
Back then, in springtime, residents would set the woods on fire to remove low brush, kill ticks and other such, and promote grass. Back then, it was common for livestock to graze in the woodlands. The fires were never dangerous - and the pine trees were accustomed to the mild fires and suffered no real damage. Their bark protected them - as it had done for the ages. So we lived in harmony with the environment.
Let me be open. This was 75 years ago, and times have certainly changed. But it seems to me that poor forest management is a major source of the recent major wildfires. This hasn't been limited to the West Coast. The government also acted to stop mild fires in government lands - setting the stage for major fires. National parks have also suffered.
Same thing has happened to wildlife management. We kill off predators, former prey animals expand, overrunning grazing lands. This pleases voting ranchers and hunters - and the ecosystem gets upset. There are cases where the predators have been restored, and the overall environment improves.
Maybe we try too hard to avoid little risks and just set the stage for major risks. The stability breeds un-stability story of the sandpile growth until it collapses.
If you want protection, protect from the major risks - and pay the costs of the small ones. Short term vs long term. Maybe we try to over-regulate some things and don't pay enough attention to those that really need it.
Might even have been going on in our governments - national and state - in many areas?
Just rambling .....
