The Line: Wildfires Pose Danger To Environment And Lives

July 8, 2016 – After about 18,000 acres burned in the Manzano Mountains, some are concerned about future wildfires this season.

U.S. Forest Service officials said that the  Dog Head Fire was started when a machine used to clear up the forest floor backfired,  igniting mulch on the ground.

“In operation, the masticator moves across the forest floor and grinds the slash into a mulch. There is no fire hazard posed by normal operations of this machine, but in this case it may have struck a rock or some other solid object in the slash that sparked the blaze,” Isleta Pueblo Governor, E. Paul Torres, told KRQE in a statement.

http://krqe.com/2016/06/30/dog-head-fire-early-investigation-findings-to-be-released/

The fire was driven by high winds and dry atmospheric conditions. The cost of fighting such fires is also a source of disagreement between Congress and the U.S. Forest Service.

Do you think forest clearing is a good strategy right now? Who should pay for wildfire fighting and prevention?  Let us know what you think on Facebook and Twitter.

Line Panelists:
Janice Arnold-Jones, former state representative
Tom Garrity, the Garrity Group PR
Sophie Martin, attorney and editor of DukeCityFix.com
Antoinette Sedillo López, executive director of Enlace Comunitario