Will current forest management strategies prevent catastrophic wildfires in the future?

Kendrick Mountain five years after the Hochderffer fire. Photo taken from U.S. Forest Service Road 151, June 12, 2001.
to be cataloged

Wildland fire practices and policies will continue to be a critical issue facing the West and particularly the Colorado Plateau. There are many options to explore for reintroducing the historic effects of a natural fire regime. As with most human actions, there will be unintended consequences. The damage caused by fire suppression the past century will not be undone overnight.

NAU.PH.2001.20.2.43
A hillside burned by the Steamboat Fire, June 30, 2001.
Charlie Denton

Charlie Denton
Retired career firefighter and district ranger for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest

"This isn't going to be solved in one year or three years or five years or ten years. It's going to take decades…"

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George Sheppard

George Sheppard
 Past wildlife biologist, Kaibab National Forest

"It's going to be a VERY expensive effort to restore the ecosystems of the western states… I don't have any short-term outlook on this. It's going to be at least a hundred years."

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