Controlled burning is overseen
by fire control authorities for
regulations and permits.
There is only one
(and always has been)
controlling, regulating, permitting authority.
Fires, both naturally caused and
prescribed, were once part of
natural landscapes.
Here I have no authority
(and never have)
despite what the ads might have said.
Fire is a natural part of forest ecology
and controlled fire can be
a tool for foresters.
To stoke a fire already lit
(and burning out of control)
is unnecessary, causing the burn in directions damaging
(and definitely deadly)
beyond the intended area.
****
There are two basic causes of wildfires;
one is natural and the
other people.
It’s the people you meet that matter the most
(and make the idea succeed and survive.)
Pre-agricultural societies used fire
to regulate both plant
and animal life.
Perhaps it’s a stretch to call them innocent
(and separate like grain from the chaff.)
Tossing a few onto a pile
(and leave the rest alongside the intended.)
The goal should be to keep the lot
(and burn back the brush to save the idea.)
Back burning, starting small fires along
a man-made or natural firebreak
in front of a main fire front.
Draw a black line around all innocence
(and don’t cut off your nose again.)
Contain the fire
(and in due course it’ll burn itself out.)
Said with anxious nonchalance, your driptorch in hand
(and both eyes on the houses you’d built yourself).
Many scientists disagree to such
a simplistic approach, each
has its own merit.
Assessing each one
(and all three of your houses)
I sat aside my match
(and questioned my own merit.)
****
It was you who told me
(and I’ll never forget)
think before making a grand gesture
(and make it count!)
Suppressing fires leads to ground fuel
build-up, dense under-growth the
risk of catastrophic wildfires.
I hold my fire
(and smolder)
with my eyes on my houses
(and yours.)
Stimulating germination of desirable
trees, revealing mineral layers
increasing seedling vitality.
Am I the serotinous sort
(and require this heat for eventual growth?)
Seeing burning as one component
shifting cultivation, preparing
the field for planting.
Is this part of a unique process
(and not just a reactionary slash and burn?)
Clearing the land of any
existing residue, killing
weeds and seeds.
Am I a weed or seed
(and is it your duty to care for the land?)
****
Depending on the context and goals of a
prescribed fire additional planning may
be necessary to prevent excess loss.
I draw another line
(and wait.)
Inkjet on 8 1/2 inches x 11 inches/21.6 cm x 27.9 cm vellum (25 % rag) with handwriting in blue ink.