Over the past decade, millions upon millions of trees have died as a result of limited budget resources and a changing climate. As a result of the tree mortality rate spiking, wild forest fires have become prominent in these forests. Like most natural disasters, there should be an allocation of money to address these issues. Fortunately, there is something we can do to reduce these deaths and prevent wildfires. However, it remains difficult to do so as the bureaucratic system in our society as put up blocks to get meaningful environmental legislation to be passed.
The fight against wildfires and the need for other safety measures have also taken a toll on the US Forest Service (USFC) budget. In the 2016 fiscal year, California redirected $43 million to drought and wildfire restoration, and 56% of the USDC' total budget last year was used for fire management, the agency said. In order to solve the problem of millions of trees dying and outbreaks of wildfires, action on all fronts must be taken. It can start with a political acceptance that this issue is a crisis that deserves serious attention regarding funding and legislature.
This article is extremely important in highlighting the serious environmental issues this country faces. We are seeing year after year the extreme negative impacts of climate change and our government (the system put in place to protect its citizens) is neglecting to take serious action. The big takeaway from this article is the need to spread awareness about saving our trees. Hopefully, we can receive more empirical data further proving the need for reform. Not only are we forced to spend millions of dollars to put out wild fires, endangering the lives of brave firefighters, but we are also causing serious harm to the habitats of animals that are forced to relocate. Actions on all fronts must be taken, and it needs to come now.
Credits:
Created with images by EmArt - "texture nature mud"