In response to the recent forest fire in Yosemite National Park, it seems two out of three areas of investigation are nailed down. We know the culprit who started the fire, and we have a plan to rehabilitate the environment once the fires are out to prevent erosion in the upcoming rainy season. What seems to be missing is the investigation into what policies are in place that allowed a fire to burn through such a large area so close to San Francisco's water supply.
There should be greater protections and better policies in place to clear fuel and tinder close to municipal water supplies on government land.
Since President Bush's Healthy Forests Initiative in 2002, we have been heading in the right direction — away from Smokey the Bear's zero tolerance for fire to efforts to clear buildups of easily ignited leaves, pine straw, etc. ("fuel load") to control-burn areas to prevent larger, more devastating fires. However, it is clear this policy is either not enough or not working properly. More steps need to be taken to reduce "fuel load" in the national parks, especially near areas that directly affect important watersheds like those feeding into the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
While many scientists are investigating how to clean up the area, just as many scientists and policy experts should develop a report and revisit fire policy. This fire should be a wake-up call to look into and evaluate our fire policy and make adjustments to prevent further, more-catastrophic fires.
Christopher Pelosi
Albany