The California Indians could not understand why the Franciscan friars at the missions forced them to stop setting fires. It was done to provide forage for the livestock brought by the Europeans. Their belief that fire "renewed the land" was considered barbaric and heretical. I love what the Friars tried to do but, as so many other things, this was simply misguided. BLM knows that letting wildfires burn themselves out is good for the environment. But, political pressures keep them from doing it. Read the article @ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140726082324.htm
