Experts Say Land Management, Firefighter Support Essential to Control Wildfires
With smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketing the U.S. Capitol and an active wildfire season predicted for 2023, Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) said the United States may have become a victim of its own ingenuity.
“We’re getting a lot better at [fighting fires]. We thought that if you suppress fires, that’s the end of it, but that’s not the end of it,” Risch said. “We’ve caused the problem that we’ve got.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said climate change, advancements in firefighting, and neglected forestry management are taking a toll.
He said smoke is common in the western United States. Manchin noted studies have shown that wildfire smoke makes up 30 percent of particulate matter in the air in some western states. Over half of the most destructive fires in U.S. history have occurred since 2018….