OPINION: Wildfire prevention costs less than suppression  

Did your parents ever tell you, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?” That adage also applies to wildfire management.

When it comes to wildfires, the cost of suppression far outpaces the cost of actions that help prevent fires from happening in the first place.

This imbalance is understandable: It is easy to see the dollars at work putting out dangerous wildfires, but the money saved because of prevention efforts is invisible. A key measure of the effectiveness of wildfire management in New Mexico is the money saved on fires that never started.

A recent study by Megafire Action/Hart Research found the public overwhelmingly supports investing more in wildfire prevention, and that the perceived level of government spending on fire prevention far outweighs the actual spending.

At a national level, the relative budget allocation for agencies tasked with fighting wildfires over the last 10 years was 22% designated for fire prevention versus 78% provided to suppress active wildfires. New Mexico is ahead of the curve in this regard: The Legislature and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham approved $33.7 million for prevention in the current fiscal year, which is more than the average annual expenditure of $25 million on wildfire suppression.

The firefighters in yellow fire-resistant gear, the engines rumbling toward smoke columns, the helicopters and airplanes dropping water and retardants, are the visible signs of dollars spent on wildfire. We are grateful for the service of the men and women who work to contain these fires.

Every dollar spent on education about wildfire prevention, thinning overgrown forests, creating defensible space around buildings and fortifying homes to better withstand wildfires translates into taxpayer savings. The savings are measured in the avoidance of firefighting costs, property losses, injuries and deaths, protracted legal expenses, water system and road damage, and post-fire recovery efforts.

Prevention is suppression’s undercover partner, and it works on three fronts.

First is prevention through public awareness and early detection — the message honed by “Smokey Bear” about campfire safety and vehicle use, combined with early detection technology cameras that catch fires before they spread. This messaging, along with early detection, works, but it's only part of the fire-prevention equation.

The second front is cutting and removing the overgrown brush and trees that fuel wildfires. Treatment projects in high-risk areas reduce fuel loads and create buffer zones that slow fire spread. Physically removing the fuel decreases the chance of wind-driven ember washes that can destroy homes miles beyond the approaching fire front. These projects don't make headlines, but they’re the difference between a manageable wildfire and a catastrophe.

The third front requires individual action. This includes creating defensible space and preparing homes to withstand wildfire by upgrading the roof with fire-resistant materials, closing off vents to keep embers out, and replacing wood shingles and other combustible materials. 

The Megafire Action/Hart Research study also found strong support for personal and community efforts that can protect entire neighborhoods — not just individual properties. Every fire-resistant roof, every home without any vegetation in a 0- to 5-foot zone around the building, and every upgraded vent covered with a 1/8-inch screen adds to our collective defense against wildfire disaster.

The good news is New Mexicans don’t have to choose between prevention and suppression.

The state Legislature has an opportunity to continue funding on all three fronts, with cameras for early wildfire detection, forest and watershed restoration projects and community buffers, and the state’s first investment in the new Wildfire Prepared Program, signed into law by Lujan Grisham in April of this year.

At the end of the day, the best story we can tell about wildfire isn't about the fires we fought — it’s about the forests and watersheds kept intact, and the lives, homes and communities we saved because of the fires that never had a chance to start.

Laura McCarthy is the New Mexico state forester.