Sixty years ago, at midnight, the bedside phone rang.
The district ranger said, “grab your caulk boots, a lunch and meet me at the office.
“You’ll be fighting fire.”
Seventy-five of us, including loggers, mill workers and Forest Service personnel headed for a small remote fire in a wilderness area.
By noon that day, we had felled the blazing snags and encircled a two-acre fire.
We had driven about 10 miles on well-maintained Forest Service roads, then bushwhacked about a mile with headlights on our hard hats.
Overkill?
You bet.
This ranger didn’t want a “project fire” on his district.
Today, a logger’s job is a youngster’s dream.
Utilizing public trees to make a product is another.
Many of the roads have been torn out as they search for cash to destroy the rest.
“Au naturel” is the state of forest management today.
Invest in a good mask.
You may need it.
Glenn Wiggins,
Port Angeles