It is an explosive mix. In such cases, nature exacts a terrible price. It's true that forestry historians have amply documented that forest fires are a natural part of the life-cycle of a forest, thereby overturning nearly a century of governmental policy which viewed them as something always to be stamped out. But that doesn't mean we should just throw up our hands, as the left-wing environmentalists suggest. Truth be told, environmentalists are probably glad to see homes burn and livestock destroyed.
Animals just love the fresh growth that pops up after the fire, they say.
As for the valuable wood itself, they would rather it go up in flames than be sold at a profit. We might even think of forest fires as environmental regulations on fast forward. There is an important kernel of truth to the old view that forest fires ought to be prevented. It is against man's intuition to let anything valuable just go up in smoke without reason. Clearly, these government-owned lands need to be logged or otherwise employed to some useful purposes.