Will, take a deep breath. My comment was not about just doing fire remediation in the WUI to protect human infrastructure; albeit I do think we need to have a conversation about the stopping of building in the WUI. My comment was about the logging industry, the USFS/BLM, and their captured politicians running around with their hair “on fire” screaming that the backcountry cannot be allowed to burn so we have to thin and log it to save the town. That is absolute and complete BS and over the past 2 decades study after study (even the USFS’ own studies) show that thinning in the backcountry does nothing to prevent or slow down low-humidity/high temperature/high-wind wildfires. Why spend money and resources way out there when it is not effective and can even be counterproductive to protecting the WUI and town? Unless you have, I would highly recommend reading Smokescreen by Chad Hanson and A Beautifully Burned Forest by Richard Hutto. Both books lay bare the lies and obfuscation that the agencies, logging companies, and politicians peddle all in the name of “Forest Health” when it is really about the resources (trees) and money.

You’re correct fire remediation is helpful. Have you seen large-scale remediation on the flanks of town? Some in Durango West and some to the east. But the fact remains the WUI is overstocked. Your sanguine view of giving firefighters a chance feels nihilistic. We all know it’s coming but do we throw up our hands and not protect the town?