Helicopters and firefighters saved the community of Secesh Meadows from forest fires that raged this summer, but many residents of the community would like the Payette National Forest to be managed like state lands.

During an interview with The Star-News Saturday, several residents want the forest to be managed to keep the forest healthy and to recreate a lost forest economy as state lands are managed.

They would like the forest thinned to remove fire fuels. They also want the fires extinguished immediately and believed this year's fires were allowed to burn.

Residents acknowledged the thinning program that began in the Secesh area two years ago, but it was not enough to keep the community out of harm's way.

"Our swath of destruction is well over 700,000 acres," Secesh resident Becky Johnstone said. "If the fires were al lowed to burn from Cascade to New Meadows, people wouldn't stand for that."

Vern Peterson of Secesh Meadows looks over a burned over area of the Payette National Forest on Flat Creek near the community of Secesh. Photo by Michael Wells.

Full-time Secesh resident Vern Peterson agreed that the forests needed to be thinned. However, Peterson believed the Payette forest's thinning plan was too small.

"These small acreage amounts are not enough," Peterson said. "If they would put out timber sales for large amounts of acreage up to 100,000 acres, they would have loggers from all over coming in here because this timber is marketable."

Potential for Disaster
Peterson also worried about the potential for a catastrophic fire that could first trap an entire community then kill everyone in it.

"I think there's a constant danger that they are going to have one of these fires hit heavy fuels and there is going to be a town downwind of it," Peterson said. "Then we are going to get a 60-70 mph wind and the thing is going to get out of control ... and kill everybody in there; the firefighters included."

Flames approaching Secesh this summer reached as high as 500 feet as they topped the ridge behind Peterson's house, he said.

For eight days, helicopters knocked down the flames and eventually saved the community.

The fire burned one outbuilding in Secesh, but took trees from resident's yards.

"To me, the trees are really more important than the cabin," Johnstone said. "Some of these 70-80 year-old trees I will not see in my lifetime again."

Brian Wanner's home was threatened from all sides by fires. Backfires set by firefighters ended up burning on his property.

"I think it was an unorganized process considering the information they had available to them," Wanner, a six-year resident of Secesh, said.

While the residents were grateful for the assistance from the firefighters stationed in the area to protect their property, they all agreed that they believed the fire managers let the fire burn, rather than attempt to put it out.

" 'Let it burn' is crazy," Lisa Wisner said. "But they did protect the structures good."

The residents believe the Payette forest is responsible for their land values plummeting.

"It was the summer from hell," Johnstone, who works at Knipe Land Co. in McCall, said.

She said she had a large property in the Warren area listed for about $350,000 before this year's fires. She said she had an interested party at the time. Since the fires, the best offer on the land was $50,000.

"They like to talk about how much money is spent to fight the fires," Wanner said. "Let's talk about the amount of money that is lost in property values when they don't put these fires out."

"The people who live back here ... like the area," he said. "We enjoy the amenities, we like the scenery that's not here anymore."