Natural fires help our Sky Island mountains

TUCSON -- Natural lightning-caused fires, like those burning today in the Santa Catalina and Pinaleno Mountains, help renew our mountain landscapes and web-of-life.

The real, and unreported question is why is the Forest Service still spending stacks of public money and risking firefighters lives trying to put out eco-helpful fires that threaten no one?

Summerhaven and Mt. Lemmon are not threatened, they already burned -- in part due to decades of USFS fire suppression and related small tree fuels build-up -- and are now much more firesafe.

The science is clear on natural fire, it helps our mountain ecosystems and prevents mega-blazes later. The media must do a much better job covering the benefits of natural fire, and the Bush Forest Service's mistakes on fire fighting.