Smokey Bear was the most successful advertising campaign of all time. And the success of his message “Only YOU can prevent Forest Fires” might be a big reason why California and the west coast have been experiencing catastrophic wildfires.
Fire season in California has been getting longer and more intense. One major reason for the severity is fire suppression. Putting out fires is a message officials have touted for more than a century. But as Matt Fidler, the creator of the new radio series “California Burning” tell us, the message of fire suppression was mainly circulated by a famous forest creature with an interesting history.
The Forest Service and other agencies are starting to use prescribed burns more often to reduce underbrush and prevent mega-fires. Learn more about how California native people commonly used fire to manage forests on our podcast “Living Downstream” at norcalpublicmedia.org.
(Photo: National Agricultural Library – Public domain)
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