by Tom Joyce
Arizona state Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, sent a letter to Michiko Martin, Southwestern Regional Forester for the U.S. Forest Service, on Monday asking for an official Facilitated Learning Analysis (FLA) to be conducted on three fires that have burned in Arizona in recent years.
The three fires in question; Woodbury (2019), Telegraph (2021), and Tunnel (2022), charred more than 300,000 acres. The Woodbury fire covered 123,875 acres, the Telegraph fire covered 180,757 acres, and the Tunnel fire burned 20,924 acres.
The FLA process is used by Forest Service and other organizations to internally review and learn from unintended outcomes of a fire event. The purpose is to improve practices and to better prepare for future wildfires.
“It is critical that the Forest Service use all possible sources of information to study these fires and work to ensure that any mistakes made in managing these fires not be repeated,” Cook wrote in the letter. “Arizonans believe that the high number of homes destroyed in these fires is unacceptable and should be avoided in the future if possible.”
Cook also offered assistance to the FLA, if they needed it.
“I hope you can begin these important tasks as soon as possible. If you decide not to begin the analysis of these fires, please let me know and the reasoning for such a decision. However, if I can be of any assistance, please let me know.”
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Tom Joyce is a contributor to The Center Square.Â
