Wilder Than Wild

Last year’s California wildfire season was a nightmare, with entire towns and neighborhoods destroyed, leaving 9,000 structures turned to ashes, and wide swaths of forest acreage blackened and all but lifeless. Why are wildfires getting worse? Filmmaker Kevin White’s documentary addresses two causes: climate change and the longtime forest-management practice of 'fire suppression.' Long ago, indigenous peoples in the region engaged in strategic burning of flammable brush, branches, and anything else that could rapidly spread a fire and thin the forest. But the federal government rejected that approach, and for generations has allowed forests to be overgrown. With climate conditions increasing the chances of fires, the table has been set for the ruinous conditions we see today. While Wilder Than Wild features much footage of the wine country fires of 2017, it also offers some hope, profiling groups with various interests in healthy forests while also noting that volunteers can play a part as well in reducing risk and guaranteeing a future for forests. A timely look at an increasingly urgent environmental issue, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)