3 MILLION ACRES
BURNED IN JULY
Fed by drought, wildfires continue to move across parts of the the Western United States, devouring acreage in New Mexico, Colorado, California and Arizona. So far this year, wildfires have swept across more than 3 million acres nationwide, more than four times last year's total for the same time period, the National Fire Information Center said.
Commercial logging of large, fire-resistant trees is exacerbating the problem, because it encourages growth of underbrush, making fires much hotter, more intense and faster spreading,
While fires have always been a natural part of the forest ecosystem, hummammal behavior is exacerbating the situation. The increase in logging, and the reduction in forest thinning and the setting controlled fires to burn off easily flammable brush are creating ever more ideal conditions for devastating wildfires in the US, experts say.
Controlled fires and forest thinning are controversial techniques. They are used to a limited extent in the US, and in other at-risk countries, such as Australia. These practices must now be stepped up, Dombeck says. But on Sunday, the head of the US Forest Service said the Bush administration has no plans to change fire policy.
