Western wildfires are impacting our Missouri forests, but we can help

Like many Missourians, the Ozarks hold a special place in my heart — and the Mark Twain National Forest is a cornerstone of that region and an important part of keeping our streams and rivers healthy. But the way the U.S. pays for fighting wildfires is beginning to impact the programs and resources that keep our Missouri forests healthy.

Over the past year, wildfires have burned through more than 8 million acres of American land, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. This has cost the government over $2.4 billion, which is more than any other wildfire season on record.

While emergency funds are available to pay for damages and recovery from earthquakes and other disasters, wildfire disasters are paid for directly from U.S Forest Service and Department of the Interior funds.

As those agencies make their annual budgets, their only option is to plan for costs based on past wildfire season averages, but devastating fires are happening more frequently thanks to extreme weather and drought conditions. And as more people live near fire-prone forests, firefighting costs continue to rise. In fact, the cost of fighting wildfires has increased substantially over the past two decades.

Currently, when funding is needed for fighting a wildfire, agencies must pull from their budgets. This results in budgetary shortfalls and limits conservation and healthy forest management practices those entities are also responsible for executing.

When it comes to the choice between suppressing wildfire or spending money on important conservation practices will always — understandably — be to save lives and property.

But it’s those exact conservation practices, such as restoring forests and selective timber thinning, that help reduce the risk of fire in the first place.

When fires are part of a forest’s natural cycle, or when they are set and controlled by trained fireworkers, they benefit plants and animals. They also prevent the pile-up of grass and brush that otherwise could serve as fuel for future fires. This is part of healthy forest management.

It doesn’t make sense to have firefighting come at the expense of projects that would make our lands more productive, healthier and less fire-prone.

There is a solution — and Congress holds the key. Lawmakers are currently considering how to fix this problem so we can pay for firefighting, reduce the risk of future megafires, and still benefit from conservation and other programs throughout Missouri.

The House of Representatives and Senate have introduced the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act. The Senate has also recently added a comprehensive fire-funding solution to a flood insurance bill.

As a trustee for The Nature Conservancy of Missouri, I know our organization is working to influence policy makers — at the national level and right here in Missouri — to consider new ideas when it comes to funding natural resources management and disaster programs.

We know our current situation is not sustainable and is continuing to get worse. A permanent fix is needed.

You can help, too, by letting your members of Congress know a wildfire funding fix is important to you. Tell them that protecting the health of Missouri’s forests is beneficial to all Missourians.

Let’s build on the spirit of community and think about smart, long-term solutions to ensure that these special places, like our Mark Twain National Forest, continue to thrive.

This story was originally published January 21, 2018 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Western wildfires are impacting our Missouri forests, but we can help."