On September 4,
2011, 34,000 acres and over 1600 homes burned in the Bastrop Complex Fire.
What does one do
when one loses the environs and surroundings which attracted them? There is no such event that eventually
hones your definition of being and welfare than a devastating loss of home and
surroundings. Sure, this begins as a
lament. Yet, it becomes for this author
affirmation of long held belief, articulated long ago by William Wordsworth
(1798).
“Therefore
am I still
A lover of the meadows and the woods,
And mountains; and of all that we behold
From this green earth”
Some would argue
that it was fire that is to blame for this loss. However, it is we ourselves who shoulder the
responsibility for the tragedy that resulted in the loss of several thousand
acres of the Lost Pines of Central Texas.
Fire was the agent, but it is how we behaved and the decisions we made
as we occupied this part of the world.
Fire is
something of which to be afraid. Fire is
something we do not understand. Of course, we know its benefit of warmth so
comforting in winter months. We
appreciate it in the preparation of meals.
However, we do not understand fire’s role in maintaining habitat and the
environment. We are so afraid of fire
that we often do the very things that cause the worst imaginable outcome. One
of the lessons learned from this tragedy is that fire is a necessary ingredient
in the propagation of new pines and the control of duff and litter on the floor
of the forest. By suppressing fire, we might
create even greater fuel loads in the area. That is precisely what
happened. The consequences of our
actions will be evident for many years.
But I am still a
lover of woods. I miss these woods. Yet, I am determined to do my part to assist
in the recovery of the woods.
Labels: Bastrop, Central Texas, Fire, Lost Pines of Texas, Piney Woods, Woods, Wordsworth
