How have past Forest Service management practices contributed to this problem?
It is generally accepted by the scientific community that many forest management policies and practices contributed to the unnatural tree densities that now exist in our forests. Fire prevention and suppression activities appear to be the primary factors interrupting the natural fire return cycle. Fire suppression during the first three-quarters of the 20th century was supposed to protect forests from a perceived “enemy” but it only succeeded in programming our forests for more severe wildfires in the final quarter-century-not to mention these first few years of the 21st century.
