❶Though often viewed as a problem for western states, the growing frequency of wildfires is a national concern because of its impact on federal tax dollars, says Professor Max Moritz, a specialist in fire ecology and management.
❶In 2015, the US Forest Service for the first time spent (36) 2015 more than half of its $5.5 billion annual budget fighting fires— nearly double the percentage it spent on such efforts 20 years ago.❷In effect, fewer federal funds today are going towards the agency's other work—such as forest conservation, watershed and cultural resources management, and infrastructure upkeep—that affect the lives of all Americans.
❶Another nationwide concern is whether public funds from other agencies are going into construction in fire-prone districts. ❷As Moritz puts it, how often are federal dollars building homes that are likely to be lost to a wildfire?
❶"It's already a huge problem from a public expenditure perspective for the whole country/' he says.❷"We need to take a magnifying glass to that. ❷Like, "Wait a minute, is this OK?' 0Do we want instead to redirect those funds to concentrate on lower-hazard parts of the landscape?"
❶Such a view would require a corresponding shift in the way US society today views fire, researchers say.
❶For one thing, conversations about wildfires need to be more inclusive. ❷Over the past decade, the focus has been on climate change—how the warming of the Earth from greenhouse gases is leading to conditions that worsen fires.
❶While climate is a key element, Moritz says, it shouldn't come at the expense of the rest of the equation.
❶"The human systems and the landscapes we live on are (39) linked, and the interactions go both ways," he says. ❷Failing to recognize that, he notes, leads to "an overly simplified view of what the solutions might be.❸Our perception of the problem and of what the solution is becomes very limited."
❶At the same time, people continue to treat fire as an event that needs to be wholly controlled and unleashed only out of necessity, says Professor Balch at the University of Colorado. ❷But acknowledging fire's inevitable presence in human life is an attitude crucial to developing the laws, policies, and practices that make it as safe as possible, she says.
❶"We've disconnected ourselves from living with fire,^^ (40) “ Balch says.❷"It is really important to understand and try and tease out what is the human connection with fire today.55 I
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林火生态与管理专家马克斯・莫里茨教 授称，虽然越发频繁的林火常常被视为西部 各州的问题，但由于其对联邦税款的影响， 它成了全国关注的问题。 年，美国林务局用于救火的 费用首次超过年度预算总额55亿美元的一 半——该比例几乎是20年前在这方面支出的 两倍。实际上,现如今该机构其他工作所得到 的联邦基金更少了——比如森林保护、分 水岭和文化资源管理以及基础设施维护——而 这些工作影响着所有美国人的生活。 是否要将从其他机构获得的公共资金用 于火灾易发区的建设，这是另一个全国关注 的问题。正如莫里茨所说，联邦政府每隔多 久会出资建造那些可能会被林火摧毁的家 园呢？ 从公共支出的角度看，这对整个国家来 说已经是个巨大的难题了，”他说。(37)“我 们需要用放大镜来看这个问题。比如，'等 一下，这样做合适吗？'我们需要将这些资 金转而集中投放到低风险的区域吗？ ” 研究者称，这种观点要求美国社会相应 地调整其当下对火灾的看法。 一方面，关于林火的会谈需要更具包容性。 在过去的十年里，人们的关注点一直在气候变 化问题上，即因温室气体引起的地球变暖是如 何导致更加严重的火灾状况的。 莫里茨表示，尽管气候是一个关键 因素，但是也不应该以牺牲其他影响因素为 代价。 他说，“人类系统和我们赖以生存 的自然环境息息相关，而且两者间的影响是 双向的。”他指出，不能认识到这一点，会 导致“将可能的解决方案看得过于简单。我 们对问题及其解决方法的认知就会变得非常 局限。” 同时，(40 )人们依旧把火灾视为需要 完全控制，且只在必要时才能释放的事件， 科罗拉多大学的鲍尔奇教授说道。但是承认 火灾是人类生活中不可避免的存在”这一 态度对于制定保障尽可能安全用火的法律、 政策和惯例来说至关重要，她说。 我们已将自己从与火灾共存中隔绝 开，”鲍尔奇说。“理解并且努力梳理如今人 类与火灾之间的联系才是真正重要的。”