How to Manage the Forest to Make It Easier to Manage the Fires | Opinion [Video]

It’s impossible to know the devastation of a wildfire until you’ve lived it. Headlines and news clips provide a glimpse, but they cannot replicate the feeling of smoke in your lungs, seeing flames race towards you, or feeling the char and ash of destruction left in its wake. This year is already off to a grim start with devastating fires in Los Angeles. These recurring wildfire tragedies, however, have gripped the attention of the new Congress, with policymakers making critical forest reform their top priority. This week, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act to help overcome the legal and political hurdles that stand in the way of addressing the wildfire crisis.

As a child, my first experience with wildfire came on a family backpacking trip in the mountains of Montana. The majestic views changed instantly after rounding a bend revealed an out-of-control fire …