Ridiculous. Newsome wants a private entity to pay customers to gain brownie points with the electorate. However, if he was doing his job, he would be focused on solving the problem, not passing the buck to a private company.

The state should have a forest management system in place that clears excessive brush in public forestland. At one time, we had such a program and we didn't have fire burning out of control to such a great degree. Now, since some think the forest should be left in a "pristine" state, the undergrowth is out of control and a small spark can turn deadly in minutes. Those people who insist that nature be left to tend itself are ignoring the fact that people nearby are bound to screw up the system nature would follow if truly left alone.

Left alone, forest occasionally burn. Sometimes the fires leave nothing but ash, but most leave some live trees and no dry brush beneath. If the goal is to keep the trees, the underbrush has to go or it will eventually lead to a fire that is hard to contain.

Other states clear the forest regularly because they realize that leaving the forest in a "natural" state will result in huge fires should a spark catch. With the increasing number of humans living close to, or even in, forestland, it is irresponsible for the state to ignore the danger of allowing such encroachment without managing the forest more carefully.

The state would be better served if its leaders took a role in doing something to prevent problems rather than pandering to those who don't consider the consequences of their well-intended but poorly thought out ideas.