Finally, after 5 years of bringing the Forest to the People, and two years of adding Fire Mitigation to the Foraging task, the vision for Bringing the People back to the Forest is clear. It's also more necessary than ever, for the Forest & for Society.
The Forest Service has the funds to pay for services but doesn't have the people to do the work. There are some 30,000 Forest Service employees coast to coast, and there are now more than 40,000 homeless veterans.
Where are Society's warriors traditionally stationed, at the center of commercial centers, or at the edges of the Civilized World? History says it's the latter, no matter the (healthy) culture.
I think I found the missing "Army" of willingly nomadic People who don't have a current purpose in Life that the Forest Service needs to better care for the Forest resource.
It's undeniable.
It's time to feed two birds with one scone.
Help the Spruce Healing Initiative end Veteran homelessness and clear the National Forests of wildfire hazards in one fell swoop!
With 2.3 Million Acres of White River National Forest alone, at a rate of about 150 acres of ladder fuels and dead-standing beetle-kill cleared per 4-5 month season per person and about $250 per acre cleared, it'll take about $575,000,000 and some combination of the following to properly maintain the entire White River National Forest:
10 people : over 1533 years ... let's do better;
100 people : ~153 years ... not gonna cut it -- it's already been about this long without the Human Element;
1,000 people : ~15.3 years ... getting closer, but we should be on a 10-year cycle at a minimum, keeping ahead of the 10-20 year cycle of spruce beetle waves up & down the Rocky Mountains;
10,000 people : 1.5 - 2 seasons NOW WE'RE TALKIN'!!!
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of [restoration].
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