As Colorado burns, blame dead standing trees and climate change
As a concerned citizen of Ouray, the current Gold Mountain fire has raised some concerns.
Recently forced upon municipalities was the state of Colorado law : Vegetative Fuel Mitigation. While admirable in its intent, it lacks a very important component — common sense. It does not address these major contributors to wildfire dangers:
1. The United States Forest Service, responsible for approximately 24.1 million acres of Colorado land.
2. The Colorado Bureau of Land Management, responsible for 3.5 million acres of land.
Watching the Gold Mountain Fire progress, one occasionally sees a sudden vertical burst of flame as another dead tree goes up like a torch. The Uncompahgre Forest around Ouray is infested with dead trees, as are many other National Forests and BLM Lands. While constituents struggle with insurance coverage cancellations and refusals, the Forest Service and the BLM continue to “manage” millions of acres of “matchsticks.”
Common sense: millions of acres is a lot to “manage.” Those we have elected who think they know what’s best for us can start by clearing the dead wood at the forested perimeter of municipalities and working out to a defensible distance. Local loggers can then determine if the removed trees can be milled or should be donated to local groups to turn into firewood for fundraisers.
Think about it.
Gregory Hall, Ouray
As fires once again rage throughout Colorado, I often hear it said that the cause of the fire was lightning. Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say lightning started the fire rather than saying it was the cause? The cause of our quickly raging out-of-control fires is climate change, which has resulted in extreme drought and extreme heat. Letap be honest: our burning of fossil fuels is the fundamental cause of climate change and our horrible fires.
David Ryan, Poncha Springs
Rooftop solar is essential to respond to climate change
“Highway cutting, mowing expands,” March 24, news story.
I recently read an article about trees dying along I-70 west of Denver due to beetle infestation and drought, both caused by global warming. Electric utilities like Xcel should install solar systems on the roofs of homes with no upfront costs to the homeowner. Xcel gets free electricity generation and the homeowner’s monthly bill is either for leasing the system or paying it off with perhaps some interest.
Many homeowners can’t afford the upfront costs of installing a solar system. Xcel and others are erecting solar farms across Colorado. Decentralizing generation makes it less vulnerable to sabotage or outages.
Utilities would no longer have to purchase as much coal or natural gas and would save a lot of money. That money could fund the solar installations. State governments could make it more feasible with tax breaks for utilities.
Someone should crunch all the numbers and find a formula that would allow utilities to still profit as much, or maybe more than before. It could be a win-win for everyone involved and the planet and life on it.
The only losers would be those currently selling coal and natural gas. And thatap why it will probably never happen. They would use every means at their disposal to prevent it.
They’ll claim that what I’m suggesting will cost jobs. How many jobs do you think it would create to manufacture the solar panels domestically, maybe even locally, and to install them on every home and building?
We put a man on the moon in 8 years after JFK committed to it. We could do this. We need to and fast.
Ray Mathis, Grand Junction
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