Bruce Blackwell – Fuel is the only thing we can affect when it comes to fire. We can’t control weather or topography—

Protecting the working forest can reduce the effects of wildfires on rural communities in BC that were so badly impacted last summer. “Fuel is the only thing we can affect when it comes to fire. We can’t control weather or topography—the other two main variables,” said Bruce Blackwell of B.A. Blackwell & Associates who presented Defending the Working Forest: Learning From Others at the TLA 75th Convention. “It’s clear we can’t deal with these fires through suppression,” said Blackwell. “So we need to invest in fire preparedness and prevention to make a real difference and the working forest is where we can have the greatest impact on fuels.” This should be important to the TLA, he added. “Logging contractors are the largest source of people and machines with the capacity to address the fuel and hazard problem in a coordinated fashion,” said Blackwell.