Millions of acres of land must burn each year to eliminate accumulated biomass that fuels the growth of ever-larger wildfires. And yet Phoenix-area homeowners face restrictions on when they can light their fireplaces. We're locked into a set of decisions that is going to be difficult to change. To Pyne, the issues boil down to questions about values and how society sees itself in relation to nature. There will be escapes.
Fire is inevitable in wildlands.
If you're not willing to have controlled fire, you will have wildfire.