The latest wildfires in the West have led to renewed calls for regulation of private lands to stop the construction of homes and other buildings that may be in the path of future fires. Such regulation is neither necessary nor appropriate.
It isn’t appropriate because what people do with their own property should be between them and their insurance company. There are risks to living everywhere, and denying people the right to use their own land in the forests will simply lead them to build in the path of tornados, floods, earthquakes or other potential threats.
Regulation isn’t necessary because Forest Service research has shown that wildland property owners can use simple techniques to protect their structures from the worst of fires, including using non-flammable materials for roofs and eaves and keeping vegetation within about 140 feet of the structure neatly trimmed. Such techniques are called “firewise,” and the most extreme measures produce “shelter-in-place” homes that are so fire-resistant that the safest place to be in the event of a wildlife is in the house.
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