00:01Really, clear-cuts mimicked fire.
00:05They created large openings,
00:07and new growth would come up in those openings.
00:11So conservationists initiated fire suppression,
00:15and environmentalists opposed logging.
00:18And both of these choices created the dense,
00:20highly ignitable forests of today.
00:23Ironically, many of the species these acts were meant to help
00:27and ended up devastated in the growing fires.
00:31In 1950 and 60, estimated deer populations in California
00:35were at 2.2 million.
00:37They've declined to about 450,000 deer right now.
00:40And using that as an indicator,
00:42you see too that same plight with sage-grouse
00:44and many other species in California.
00:47And so now that we're seeing fires that are a million acres,
00:50that are burning entire watersheds,
00:53that are dramatically changing and damaging ecosystems
00:57to the point that it's hard for the ecology to recover.
01:01We need to intervene in a way
01:03that helps get natural systems back on track.
01:07If we don't come to terms with these issues,
01:10we're going to perpetuate this bickering
01:12as America burns to the ground.
01:15What we do know is that megafires
01:17are taking a tremendous toll on the environment.
01:20Additionally, as more communities spread to rural areas,
01:24the threat of human tragedy is increasing.
01:27The threat of human tragedy is increasing.
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