Defusing time bombs

Publication Type:

Magazine Article

Authors:

Swetnam, Tom

Source:

Sage Notes, Volume 23, Issue 1, p.5-8 (2001)

Call Number:

U01SWE01IDUS

Abstract:

We need to learn from past mistakes, but we also must not lose sight of the fact that we still have ticking time bombs in our forests. When the bombs exploded near Los Alamos on at least four other occasions, the city was spared-mostly by luck. Any one of these other big fires over the past 46 years could have torched the city, and fire managers started none of them. It is beyond tragic that the Cerro Grande bomb exploded over Los Alamos while fire managers were trying to defuse it. Bombs are still ticking in many other forests of the Southwest, and lightning or humans will eventually set them off, unless we successfully defuse them first. It is my hope that the Cerro Grande tragedy will not be compounded by focusing entirely on recent errors in judgment by a few managers at Bandelier. A broader acceptance of the collective responsibility for past mistakes and future solutions is called for, especially from regional land managers, fire scientists, local community leaders, and homeowners who live within flammable forests. It is time for all of us to learn a lesson in humility about what we know and don't know, and what we can and cannot predict about climate, weather, and fire behavior.