Letters to the Editor: Don't expect better forest management to save us from extreme wildfires

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·1 min read
LLANO, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Los Angeles County firefighter Captain Tom Lawson watches as a water-dropping helicopter makes a drop on the Bobcat fire as it continues to burn in the Angeles National Forest near Llano Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. Some houses and structures were lost in the Bobcat fire but most were saved. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A firefighter watches as a helicopter drops water on the Bobcat fire in Llano, Calif., on Sept. 20. (Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: As I read George Skelton's column on the suposedly enlighted forest management practices in the mountains of Baja California, Mexico, the Bobcat fire was raging on more than 100,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest, including portions that burned fairly recently, both in the 2002 Curve fire and the 2009 Station fire.

I may not be an expert in wildland fire, but the tragic events of this year strongly suggest that if there are fuels, ignition sources and the right weather conditions, there will be catastrophic fires regardless of whatever land management policies were implemented.

Alan Coles, Long Beach

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To the editor: It is truly a pleasure to read Skelton's commentary on wildfires. It's nice to see there's still one adult writing opinion pieces for the Los Angeles Times.

He also hit the nail on the head in his some of his closing comments: "The governor and Democratic leaders recently failed to agree on a fire prevention spending package.... It was from lack of leadership."

Amen to that. Vote them all out of office.

Joe Sykora, Woodland Hills