From: balistic@yabbs
To: htoaster@yabbs
Subject: re: Fires
Date: Tue Aug  9 14:47:23 1994

   I realize forestfires have little impact on the forest as a whole, but 
when that fire is man-made it kinda pisses you off.  All the people that 
lost their homes to the fire probably feel kind of cheated.  

   I agree that fires CAN help the forest, but this one didn't.  Nevada is 
in the middle of a 10 year drought and thus the trees were as flammable as 
gassoline.  It's scary to watch a tree literally explode into flames, even 
the adult ones, and within seconds they are nothing more than a pile of 
smoldering cinders.  If we wern't in the drought, and there was actually 
some humidity in the air (it averges about 5-10% here) the situation might 
have been different.....maybe the oldgrowth would have spared and the 
forest could continue .....but as it is there is nothing left on 7000 acre 
of ex-forest land.  And as I'm writing this there are about 3-4 other 
forest and brush fires within 60 miles of my house.  One fire in the 
middle of nowhere would aid in evolution...but here in nevada it's a 
freaking (no pun intended :)) warzone.  

oh well, later
Brian "flammable" Prince