Blanket Burn Ban Creates Problems

A prescribed burn in New Mexico’s Bandelier National Monument went out of control May 7. The fire has burned nearly 47,000 acres, over 250 homes and left 405 families homeless. The Energy Department said it could cost millions to clean up Los Alamos National Laboratory and reopen it.

The Clinton administration announced a 30-day suspension of all prescribed burns in 11 Western states, including Washington and Idaho. All federal agencies are affected by this burn ban, from the Bureau of Land Management to the National Park Service.

It doesn’t make sense to ban prescribed burns in Washington, Idaho or other Western states because a workable, sensable policy was not followed in New Mexico.

It’s easy to understand why the administration would announce a suspension of prescribed burns in New Mexico. But the climate and environment in New Mexico is far different than most Western states.

Here, spring is the perfect time for prescribed burns due to the cool temperatures and moist ground conditions. Now, all scheduled prescribed burns will have to wait until fall or next spring.

But to wait could have negative impacts. Compared to prescribed burns now, summer and fall wildfires are far more destructive, as well as more difficult and expensive to control.

In 1995, the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy was adopted by the National Park Service. This policy is the basis for prescribed burns.

Prescribed burns help restore natural conditions, maintain forest health, stimulate growth, provide and create wildlife habitat, reduce hazardous fuel buildup, protect watersheds and improve range conditions.

In response to the blaze, New Mexico Rep. Heather Wilson, Sen. Pete Domenici and Sen. Jeff Bingaman said they feel the federal policy needs a comprehensive overhaul.

Prior to 1968, the National Park Service policy was to strictly suppress all fires. By suppressing the fires, an integral part of nature’s cycle was eliminated. This also led to large accumulations of fire tinder, great for keeping a fire burning.

The fire management policy is specific and clearly outlines all the necessary steps for implementing a prescribed burn. The paperwork usually takes longer than the implementation of the burn.

Unfortunately several key steps were not followed before initiating the Bandelier burn. An inadequate plan, failure to address weather concerns and a lack of firefighters on hand has led to this costly mistake.

A mistake it is. About one of every 100 prescribed burns on federal lands goes beyond its boundaries. If your house burns down, that is one fire too many. But to say the policy needs to be rewritten is also a mistake.

The success of any policy depends on it being followed. The National Park Service’s Federal Wildland Fire Policy is clear and specific. The policy requires a fire management plan that includes goals to be achieved by the burn along with safety and health issues.

The climate and conditions in Washington and Idaho are far different than the conditions in New Mexico. The fire in New Mexico is unfortunate, but implementing a blanket burn ban for all Western states creates more problems than it solves.