Fire is Hot

From NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day site (thanks to and via Panchromatica) is this stunning photo of a Forest Fire:

Credit: John McColgan

It's somewhat off-topic except that it is an astonishing image and offers a nice segue to one of my favorite topics: the role of fire, and I don't mean in the sense of Robert Frost's famous little ditty about how the world will end:

"Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if I had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great and would suffice."

No, I mean as a subject for political as well as ecological inquiry, fire is hot. Smoky Bear needs to cool it, so far as I understand. Fire has had a key role in forming our landscapes and is a (potential) tool for maintaining them today. Here's a link from Florida, USA (yes we don't usually think of Florida as having forests) about The Natural Role of Fire. As well, I never think (mere ignorance) of Australia as a forested nation but apparently there is interest there too in fire as a part of Landscape Politics.

Of course if one has developed-property near a forest, one probably might not want to hear about the libertarian approach to forest fire management.

Comments

[Murph]

"Libertarian approach to forest fire management"? What would that be? As far as I can tell, it manifests itself in people saying, "This is my land and I can build a house here if I darn well feel like it! Nobody's going to tell me where I can and cannot build my house, so the government had better send some smokejumpers in here pronto to put that fire out before it takes my house!"

To demonstrate a healthier view of the situation, my parents have a house in Montana, near Glacier National Park, which the forest fires there earlier this month came within 3/4 of a mile of. When I called Montana to talk to my dad, his opinion was, "Well, if they ask us to evacuate, we'll leave, and they'll do what they can. But if some idiot builds a house in the forest and it burns down, what can you do, right?" He then said he had to go so that he could call the insurance agent.

[Brian Miller]

Thanks for this! Exactly my thoughts. I'm always a little bothered by average joes/working class guys risking their lives to save some suburban idiots "estate" from the inevitable fire (my sister-who lives in the Oakland Hills of California, hates me when I argue this)

Although a libertarian would argue that there should be only private fire companies, and these companies would charge such high premiums in such areas, that very few country estates would be built.