The Sept. 12 article by Dave Kindy on the Great Fire of 1900 in Plymouth was very interesting and informative.
It is fascinating to read personal stories of acts of survival and heroism by local people over 125 years ago.
The wildfires in the Western U.S. and Canada bring similar stories to our attention.
The 1900 Plymouth forest fires, as well as those in 1957 and 1964, raise questions such as: Are such large wildfires likely to happen again? What could be done to prevent them in the future? and What are forest conditions in Plymouth today, versus the early-to-mid 1900s when these fires happened?
Massachusetts is experiencing droughts and other extreme weather conditions that are potentially dangerous to people and our environment. Our Massachusetts state agencies have been issuing warnings about increased fire risks in light of a record number of brush fires last year. Those agencies have developed strategies for forest management with the goal of reducing wildfire risk.
Are the state’s strategies working? Are there other ways to think about this?
Many experts in the field of forest fires, including fires in New England, are asking these questions, including: What is the actual risk for forest fires in New England, in Massachusetts, or in Plymouth County? What can and should we do to protect our homes from forest fires? Is the use of planned (prescribed) fires in our state forests really a good idea?
On Oct. 4 at 10:30 a.m. at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, several organizations are co-hosting a public forum on forest fires in Massachusetts. The topics include the state’s past and future planned burning in Plymouth County. National experts will discuss these issues, including George Wuerthner who has researched and written extensively about wildfires in the West, and David Foster, the former director of the Harvard Forest who has done on-the-ground research on forest fires in New England.
More information and to RSVP is here.
The forum is in person and on Zoom, and it is free and open to the public.
We hope to see you there.
– Janet Sinclair
Sinclair is a member of the group Save Massachusetts Forests.