While ever-enlarging wildfires have become a fact of life in modern America, plenty of evidence suggests that our policies toward forest maintenance and fires is shortsighted. Filmmaker Maya Rani Khosla’s documentary takes viewers on a tour of forest land in the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, and other mountain ranges, as experts illustrate how fire is an essential part of nature’s self-management. When a fire burns vegetation, the door opens to a section of forest reinventing itself. Beetles and woodpeckers carve out new homes in charred trees and logs, beginning a new cycle of biodiversity. And the same is true for new growth in trees, brush, and plants, as well as animals that thrive in a nascent, up-and-coming forest. But instead of letting nature take its course, current policies allow loggers to clearcut trees, both before and after wildfires, leaving huge unproductive holes in the forest—an unsuitable habitat for wildlife that would have survived and even flourished in a torched environment. At the same time, the encroachment of homes onto wildlands that require regeneration is a major contributing factor to loss. A timely documentary, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (T. Keogh)
Searching for the Gold Spot: The Wild After Wildfire
(2017) 30 min. DVD: $39: public libraries; $79: high schools; $149: colleges & universities. DRA. Green Planet Films. PPR. SDH captioned. Volume 33, Issue 6
Searching for the Gold Spot: The Wild After Wildfire
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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