• Monday-What'sUP August 15 - 12:16 am

At last report the Sleeper Lake fire in the eastern U.P. has blackened 29 square miles, and is only 50% contained. As the Pasty Cam reported earlier this month, the cause of the wildfire is believed to have been a lightning strike in the Luce County forest on August 2. About 230 firefighters are battling the blaze, including our own Neil Harri, who took time out of the cockpit long enough to snap Jennifer Granholm speaking with Rich Ahnen (L) and Dean Minett in the hanger in Newberry.

That is all just so sad!

Sad as it may be for home and/or property owners, it's just nature in action. I guess mother nature wanted a new stand of jack pines.

I bet the Black-Backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers are tying napkins around their necks right now (they love new burns).

plus, if this area is home to Jack pines, it could end up being new habitat for Kirtland's Warblers.

So look on the bright side!

I don't think many dispute the helpfulness of forest fires anymore. The issues are people, and properties that are threatened. We have a course called "Wildfires in the Urban Interface" that teach how to deal with problems associated with these types of fires. These areas will burn eventually, and it was a natural fire, but our policy is to contain them to protect people and property.The state and Federal gov't conduct prescribed burns for wildlife habitat each year in the U.P as well as Northern lower. We also have burns to control invasive species such as garlic mustard. We don't have the vast unpopulated areas like out West to just let wildfires burn.

Having lived in the urban East for nearly 50 years, I have found today's comments very encouraging. Here in New Jersey, people describe a burned forest as "destroyed forever". During the years I spent growing up in Mio, Michigan, we looked forward to the year after the fire, because the crop of huckleberries was usually very lavish. It has been good to read messages from people who "know".

I'm posting on here because fires are related to droughts. Here's a map of the US showing the drought conditions: http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

Sad news and the end result is not always plesant

It is dry here in TN.Thirty two days so far with temps 90 or over. Thirteen of them in a row.

Mary I'm very sorry to hear about your mother. You have my deepest sympathy.

Pete

Andrew S. You are right on! Was going to post similiar but you've said it!
This summer we drove around south Oscoda county not far from a Fed. Bird Survey Route we did and saw how the Black Backeds' have moved in around there and stripped the burnt trees where the fires were about a year or so ago. Never did see a Black Backed there (darn) but several others have.

Neil, they (DNR) do controlled burns around here in trolland also in the St. Clair Flats, St. Johns Marsh, Harsens Island, St. Clair River Delta areas primarily for the invasive Phragmites. I wish they would do more as those are literally choking the Marsh to death!

The pine cones of the Jack pine will not open and spread their seeds unless opened by fire. It's the way the species has survived for 10's of thousands of years. I myself, love the Jack Pine. Most view it a just a scrub pine, but I like the look of them. They look as "Large" Bonsai to me. :)

It is finally become apparent that the old no-burn policies of the past have become very costly in the present, particularly in the west. There was much angst over the fire in Yellowstone a few years ago, but within a year the burn area presented a whole new green ecosystem.
This too, will pass. Look at old pictures of the Copper Country. There were vast areas of near clear cut. Now the forest has swallowed almost every trace of man's exploits.

Aah, yes, Paul, it does have a whole new ecosystem. But, having been there in 1974, before Yellowstone's big fire of 1988, and then having been there again in 2004, I can safely say that it will not have the same beautiful forests again in our lifetime, that were there in 1974, and that was sad. It still looked virtually burned out in 2004, after the fire in 1988, in a number of areas. I was surprised that more trees had not started growing taller. There was green, to be sure, but the beauty that was there was gone, so I could not show it to my sons. You could spot the burned out areas from miles away. That was really sad.

I guess we just have to learn to accept the change as being beautiful, knowing that it is new life, renewing the ecosystem and the land for all eternity. Fire is a necessary evil.

I wonder if the bug population in general hasn't increased because of the forests taking back the C.C.

Charlie, I think Mary is missed by you & all of us. Late evening or is it a too too early morning?? LOL

Malfunction wow!