There is little doubt that these are very beautiful areas of our country offering sites far different than those we have available to us in the east.

The sites in either of the two opposing parts of the country are no more or no less beautiful than the other, they are just different. It’s sort of like comparing a Picasso to a Rembrandt. 

But, as we traveled through the home of Chief Crazy Horse and the conifer canyons of Wyoming, there is one feature that stuck with me in a way that was hard to comprehend. In both areas, back in 1987 and 1988, there where huge forest fires. Fires not measured in square acres, but in square miles.  Unbelievable areas burned in a single event. Even now, 20 years later, there is no doubt where the fires burned and what areas went untouched.

Vast swaths of land are still bare or now having trees of no more than eight or 10 feet tall or grassy meadows sprinkled with black stumps or forests of tree stalks, still showing signs of being burnt, standing guard over the elk and the bear and the buffalo.

It is hard to imagine what it must have been like during the time the fires where burning. Pictures of the flames shooting skyward are limited in telling the story.

Only those who were there can really appreciate the scope of the event as it actually took place.

We are lucky here in the east. The flora of our mountains is different and, fortunately, we have more consistent rainfall to deter fires such as those experienced in the western states. Our broad-leaf hardwood trees don’t act as fuel like the oil-rich pines and firs of the western mountains.

Except in limited areas and groves of pines, our forest floor is not stacked with years of dried needle build up that can both fuel and harbor a fire for days and even weeks.

And the terrain of our mountains is not as demanding as those in the west. We can access even the remotest areas far more easily than those in the steep valleys and canyons of the western ranges.

Given these natural differences, it is hard for us to watch television and see the pictures of the fires in Montana and Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, and really connect with what’s going on and the people involved. Except, that is, for one group of people I hold dear to my heart, our New York State Forest Rangers. 

Well, you might ask, “What’s the connection between a forest fire in Montana and our New York State Forest Rangers.” The answer is easier than you might imagine. You see, being a forest ranger is sort of like being a part of a very large and far flung extended family. In the hearts and minds of rangers, state boundaries mean very little. They are one in hearts and mind and purpose.

It goes even further than that. Few people here in New York are aware that when a fire is raging in Montana, our rangers are called upon to assist in fighting the blaze. Oh yeah! Our rangers rotate five or 10 at a time to fight fires in other states putting their life and limb at risk in support of the efforts of their fellow rangers. I’ll bet you didn’t know that. 

I’ll also bet you didn’t know that they don’t get any extra pay when called upon to do this and I’ll bet you didn’t know that, in some cases, they have to supply or supplement their own gear at their own expense to fulfill their assignment. As the joke always goes, “It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.” Well, our rangers do it and do it willingly.

So, should you have the opportunity to travel throughout the western states prone to having these vast forest fires, or should you visit places like Yellowstone and see huge areas of what looks like all new growth trees, think about how lucky we are to have our Adirondack Mountains right in our backyard.

Think about the beauty available to us and how lucky we are to be able to step out our back door and bathe in the lush green of the surrounding hills. And think of those in whose hands we place the care and stewardship to protect all that we have.

And the next time you roll down your care window to flick out a candy wrapper of cigarette butt…think!  See you outdoors!