Letter: Proactive steps needed to prevent devasting Anchorage wildfire

Recent fires in California demonstrate how quickly tightly packed neighborhoods can be reduced to ashes. With Anchorage experiencing an unusually snowless winter, dry ground could arrive by mid-April. A single spark — whether from arson, a cigarette, or a campfire — could ignite a firestorm if dry weather continues into May or summer 2025.

Anchorage, with its wood-built subdivisions, is particularly vulnerable. Our city’s parks and forests are filled with spruce trees, especially beetle-killed ones, which act as prime fuel for wildfires. Winds can carry sparks across rooftops, spreading destruction rapidly throughout the city.

To protect our homes and lives, we must prioritize removing dead spruce and reducing other evergreens in highrisk areas. Environmental policies that preserve all trees, even dead ones, are impractical in an urban setting. Along creeks and parks, fewer trees are essential for fire safety.

A proactive approach could involve renewing contracts with landscapers who operate tree-mulching machines, as done in the past. Additionally, Anchorage should consider investing in higher-speed, advanced wood-mulching equipment to process larger trees more efficiently. By owning and operating such machines through municipal workers, the city can act swiftly to reduce the fire hazard.

Act now to prevent devastation tomorrow.

— Fyodor Soloview, Anchorage

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