Dealing with public concerns in restoring fire to the forest. Pages 56-58

Public support is important to all restoration efforts on public lands. Some types of restoration activities are easier for the public to support than others. Restoring wetlands, habitat restoration for salmon or burrowing owls, and veg-etative rehabilitation are generally acceptable practices. Most restoration projects and activities such as these do not have much direct impact on people. However, restoring ecological processee, such as fire, is a different story. In this paper, I describe the challenges of restoring fire to the forest. I share.some of the opinions of people in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana regarding management ignited pre-scribed fire, and examine some of the major barriers to public acceptance. I also suggest ways to increase public support for fire restoration-concepts that should be part of every fire restoration effort. Federal land managers are responsible for ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of forests and grass-lands by using the best scientific information available. As is evidenced by decades of research and over a century of experience, the best scientific information has told us that fire is key to maintaining long-term sustainability of most ecosystems in the Western United States. While prescribed fire is not a new tool in forest manage-ment, the sizes and frequencies recommended by scientists and managers to meet ecological goals are new, and they are highly controversial. In many places, certainly in the Bitter-root Valley, the emotions surrounding wildfire or manage-ment ignited fire are as passionate among those against it as they are among those who support it