Smokey Bear was the victim of abuse

Do you remember the scene in the movie KING KONG, where Fay Wray is carried to the top of the Empire State Building? It doesn’t matter if you are thinking of the 1933 original, or the numerous remakes. Fay looks terrified. I wonder if Smokey Bear had some of the same fears as he was plucked from his home and moved across the country. In 1950, he was a 5-pound cub, when a firefighter, about 40 times his size, pulled him from a tree in New Mexico. He was subsequently transported to the National Zoo in Washington DC. There he was conscripted, as the mascot for the longest running public service campaign in American history. Later, to enhance the campaign, he was given a girlfriend. When they failed to produce offspring, they were given a foster cub. One big happy family; behind bars. But I digress.

in 2020 I got to watch the launch of Space X Falcon 9 rocket. The first manned mission from a private outfit, not NASA. The amazing part of the launch was what happened on the pad. Within seconds megatons of energy were transformed into smoke, flame and steam. In short it was controlled chaos channeled to achieve a desired objective. The objective in this case? The launching of a rocket and crew into outer space.

As I watched I thought how fire is such an enigmatic entity. Here is a force of nature that we have been able to harness for all sorts of good. We use it to heat our home, generate electricity, even transport our children. In most cases the family sedan or SUV is powered by an internal combustion engine. Note the word, combustion.

Yet with all these benefits, we Americans have a love/hate relationship with fire. When a flaming stick is allowed to grow in a woodland or wildland, we suddenly see it as evil, and we must perform an exorcism on it. Thanks in part to the powers-that-be, the same ones who anthropomorphized a little bear cub into the image of a forest ranger saying, “Only you can prevent Forest Fires.” The implication here is ALL wildfire is bad. Most of our citizens have drunk that Kool-Aid and accepted this as an undeniable truth, following this dogma with evangelical fervor.

If we step back and think about this though it doesn't make sense. admittedly, unplanned wildfires can be problematic, but even that depends on factors such as terrain, population density, weather, etc. Fire has co-existed with nature, ever since the introduction of oxygen. That predates most of us. Fire is a critical component in many ecosystems, it serves a purpose. Some tree species need it to disperse their seeds, morel mushrooms fruit after a fire, there are pioneering plants that fix nitrogen into the soil. The list goes on.

I’m here to say fire is good. Yes, it needs to be respected, and like any tool it can be misused but it can do a lot of good if we only let it.

Recently, a local landowner, conducted a small, prescribed burn in his woodlot. For those unfamiliar with the concept of a prescribed burn is, it is controlled chaos channeled to achieve a desired objective. The objective in this case? The removal of logging slash and other naturally occurring debris. For more than 50 years wind and ice storms have impacted this woodlot. By converting the dead woody material into biochar and ash, minerals and nutrients would become available to plants and animals. Thereby, improving the habitat and benefiting the environment. The woodlot in question is a mix of hard and softwoods. An assortment of pine, hemlock, maple, birch and ash. We can all appreciate a good piece of ash.

That landowner has had training in the dynamics of fire management; he understood the risks involved and minimized them. He had appropriate tools on hand and the burn area was corralled by a wide firebreak. The area in question was about 2 acres in size and less than 10 percent of his property. It was not near any roadways, buildings, or property lines. This area has not seen fire in over 40 years and the fuel load was heavy. The landowner also took the added precaution of contacting the Sheriff’s Office and advising them of the location of the prescribed burn. The call was documented, and the landowner was told to call at the end of the day when burning was complete.

With all this in place, ignition commenced. The fire was progressed nicely. The large quantity of fuel made the site resemble a rocket launch. Two hours later the fire had moved over much of the two acres. It was headed toward the last large slash pile and completion of its mission.

Then it happened. The landowner heard a siren, then another, then another. “Oh no, that can’t be for this.” But he was wrong. Trucks and crews were headed in his direction to save him from... from...from fire, of course.

As the first truck parked near his property line he left the woods and greeted the crew. Immediately he informed them this was "a controlled burn, the Sheriff’s Dept has been notified…”

No one paid him any heed. Adrenaline in a First Responder is a strange thing, it can adversely influence good judgement. This crew, all of which are volunteers, was on a mission, much like the fire. Now there was a contest. The crew was determined to see that man triumphed over an evil nemesis.

The landowner saw the word Lieutenant, stenciled on a helmet. That meant rank, and someone with authority, and possibly good judgement. But no, the pleading landowner was told to “talk to the Chief.” He was then directed to a guy running around a nearby pickup truck. “Chief, this is a controlled burn,” pleaded the landowner.

“But I got a call!” said the Chief.

the landowner made another plea and explained he is a former employee of the US Fish and Wildlife Service; he has had fire training and “I am not an unprofessional,” he screamed. to no avail.

Fire Chief just kept saying, “I got called, people called.” Knowing there was no getting through to this guy, the landowner then explained the layout of the land and the location of the logging road/fire break that surrounded the fire. Fire Chief did not acknowledge any of this. the landowner looked on as Lieutenant and another member of the crew dragged a 2-inch hose across an open field. The landowner attempted to explain how to access the logging road, but Fire Chief just said something dismissive, like “we got this.”

It was clear someone wasn’t “getting this,” so the landowner slowly trudged up the logging road he went. Shaking his head in bewilderment as the hose crew yelled for water. Repeatedly yelled for water, “hey we need water! …could someone turn on the water?…hey!… turn on the water!” Finally, someone at the truck understood and opened the appropriate valve.

The landowner now saw a pumper truck, two more fire trucks, a tanker, a brush rig, an ambulance, and about a dozen privately owned vehicles parked on his lawn and roadway. The only vehicle missing was a Mr. DING-A-LING ice cream van. There were so many vehicles the fire dept had a woman in the road directing traffic through the congestion.

Bewildered and disgusted by this sight and waste of resources, the landowner continued his trek up the logging road. Two people on a quad, equipped with a water tank for use in wildlands passed him and met with another crew. The landowner stood about fifty feet away and watched as one guy, wearing a backpack sprayer, repeatedly tripped over branches. Each fall took a toll.

Suddenly one of the firefighters, in this group called out to the landowner “Hey, who are you with?” The landowner, dismayed by this lack of understanding, wasn’t sure how to respond. When the question came again, he said “I’m the property owner.”

“You can’t be there,” said Firefighter, who wasn’t doing anything but talking to the crew.

“But I’m the landowner!”

“Yeah, but you can’t be there, I can’t have you here. We are working here.”

“But I don’t want you here.”

The group stopped what they were doing. There was a collective “Huh?" They're not used to having people tell them to go away. Clearly the landowner must be...be confused. "But your woods are on fire,” one guy said.

“Yeah. I know. I set the fire.”

“Ah...ah...on purpose?”

Sometimes the talent pool in rural areas VERY SHALLOW, thought the landowner.

“Yeah, on purpose. This is a controlled burn; I don’t want you here! Why is it I can’t get you guys to stand down? I appreciate you gave up your afternoon to come out, but I don’t want you here!” the landowner tried desperately to maintain his cool. Knowing he could end up in jail. Well meaning, but misguided authority figures can see that happens.

Mumble, mumble, grumble, “But, but sir, we can’t have you there, you might get hurt, please come down.”

The landowner, standing on a slight rise, understood he was beat, and reluctantly walked past the crew.

The person in charge of this group introduced himself "I'm assistant Fire Chief (name deleted)." The landowner shook his head in amazement and repeated he had called the Sheriff’s office. A mumbled response was all he got in return. The landowner, not satisfied with the mumbled response, barked “What protocol I needed to follow the next time I do this?” He made it clear there would be a NEXT TIME.

“You need to call DEC (Dept of Environmental Conservation).”

“Why do I need to call DEC?”

“You just do.” About this time the Assistant Area Fire Coordinator showed up and was introduced to the landowner. The two fire "professionals" wandered off and had a brief conversation. The Assistant Fire Coordinator came back returned to the landowner after the Assistant Chief said something to the effect of “You need to talk to him, he’s pretty hot.”

Trying to keep everyone as calm as possible Coordinator assured landowner “You didn’t do anything illegal. I’m a little concerned about the wind, but you didn’t do anything illegal.”

The crew stayed on scene for 2 more hours. They probably thought landowner was jerk, for not thanking them for their efforts. The irony here is, the landowner actively volunteer fire dept with cash donations. He understands volunteers are the lifeblood of many communities.

He respects what they do but, on this occasion, they should have stood down. I don’t care if they don’t want to hear that. The blame should fall on their fearless leader, who, by the way, didn’t enter the woods until the fire was extinguished. He should have taken a moment to assess the situation. Had he done this; it would have been apparent they weren’t needed. But no; he had to have his men and women charge into combat. I’m reminded of a naval commander who, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, told his crew, “I mean to put you in harm’s way.” During World War II it was an appropriate mindset but during this recent adventure maybe not.

The original Smokey Bear has been dead for 30 years; spending his entire life in captivity. Maybe it is time for a new campaign? Not everything improves with age. For instance, “Milk, it does a body good,” no question. But would you drink a 70-year-old glass of milk?

The above woodlot, although charred, is a living breathing dynamic ecosystem. As I write this, I’m sure all sorts of microbes and other organisms are thriving and doing what nature designed them to do. The scorched earth may be ugly to some, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.