We do not consider it a crime to leave the permit area. It goes against our grain to close the national forests.
We desperately need to bring the ecosystem back into balance. The smaller trees in that area act as ladders to take fires into the taller Sequoias.
If you stood on the lake and looked around you, one of every three trees you saw was dead. The folks in the Lake Tahoe basin got behind a very serious thinning campaign that was very effective.
A lot of our fires are in steep, narrow canyons, and that is not a safe place to put a big airplane like that. Because of our topography, it will probably not be used as much in California. We need something smaller and more nimble.
We set up a broad blueprint for what we want to see happened over the next 10 to 15 years. Part of our mandate is to serve the public but also to protect the forests.
Everyone was not going to get what they wanted.
When trees are killed in fires, there is a lot of dead standing timber out there. Our fear is that eventually a wind storm will blow the dead trees over and create an enormous campfire effect across thousands of acres.
Katrina is undoubtedly the biggest problem for the country right now. We had to look at national priorities.
I can understand why they do it. It's a very economical and efficient way to operate.
It's still a risk. You're on your own. Some people like that. But if people aren't prepared, it could be the last mistake they make.
