Despite the ecologist’s knowledge, skills
thinning forests, adding age and species diversity
the dream not easily recreated
Old growth forest complexity mock our attempts
to put Humpty Dumpty back together again
And with trees crown to crown protected from small forest fires
wildfires now rage
Firefighters, bulldozers, chainsaws, fire breaks
struggling to protect homes on the forest fringe
Cameramen, on-scene reporters, press conferences
knowing exactly how to frighten us
Saving structures that should never have been built
Local politicians responding to homeowner rage
wanting to rebuild as quickly as possible
Fire restoration contractors hauling away debris
reconstructing out of solid air
I imagine Sierra Nevada Mountains in the 1850s
crawling with prospectors infected with gold fever
clearing everything in their way
trees, mountainsides, Native Americans
Fires set by previous inhabitants kept the trees apart
White men on horseback galloped through the forest
Old and young conifers, rare plants, fungi, symbiotic relationships
teeming with wildlife, crystal clear streams
And we the inheritors of this tragedy
thinking we are the conjures, wizards
throwing away nature’s blueprint
redesigning the forest in a new image
what can be achieved with the remaining scraps
to reduce fire risk through climate-resilient design
Despite the choices of our hearts, our amorous yearnings, our dreams
we could be swept away by economic and political reality
and then the alarms clocks rings
—
Roger Funston came to poetry late in life after a long career as an environmental scientist. He currently works for a Sierra Nevada non-profit on projects related to sustainable forestry, watershed and alpine meadow restoration and conserving and enhancing high habitat value lands. Roger has participated on environmental projects in remote locations on four continents.
