Fires have as much right to exist as grizzlies and wolves. Just as predator control has upset natural balances, fire control has had the same consequences. We must come to the realization that fire suppression, except in specific locations needed to protect human habitation and life, is a direct affront to the ecological balance of this continent. Smokey the Bear policies have done more to destroy the wildlife habitat and ecological balance of the western U.S. than any other human intrusion. But logging a burned area like Warner Creek is an even more grievous ecological affront.
Fires are, like disease and insects, natural processes in forest ecosystems.
Forests do not need to recover from a burn-they can only recover from abnormal or unusual events like timber harvests. Never forget that foresters are trained to manipulate forests, not understand them. I hesitate to prescribe any management options other than allowing Nature to reach whatever equilibrium or disequilibrium it chooses. On the whole, the best policy we could follow is to let Nature take its course. Protect our dwellings and human life when necessary, but let the bulk of the forests live and die from insects, disease, and even catastrophic fire.