Fires Can Destroy, or Save, America's Great Forests

To the Editor: Re 'Bigger and Hotter Fires Are Erasing America's Great Forests' (news article, Aug. 23): The loss of our beautiful ponderosas, which like the sequoia have adapted to fire over millions of years, is a testament to the lethal combination of hotter fires, droughts and a rapidly warming climate. The Frijoles fire, which burned more than 15,000 acres in forests 25 miles north of Santa Fe, N.M., by early September, reminds us that a lightning strike, arson or a careless act can threaten the region's watershed. The burned areas are susceptible to erosion and flooding, which can contaminate water and affect the quality of life. Several years ago I walked the John Muir Trail for three weeks through the northern Sierra Nevada and was engulfed in smoke for days. Having hiked, skied and foraged for mushrooms in the Santa Fe National Forest over the past three decades, I have noticed more cumulative tree die-off in the past year. The article's description of the Jemez Mountains northwest of Santa Fe as 'nearly barren of trees' was not my experience. While the area has been hit by huge wildfires, it is substantially forested at all elevations, though it is imperiled by drought and heat. Those of us who love our forests and grieve their devastation also live in fear of the great trees that surround us. Lit with a single spark, they can transform lives in the increasingly precarious conditions of the drought-stricken American West. Eric RadackSanta Fe, N.M.The writer is a former certified arborist and was a state director of the Access Fund, a national climbers organization. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.