Rep. Ryan Zinke had a message on Newsmax on Saturday for politicians in Washington, D.C., who are complaining about the smoke coming into the United States from the Canadian wildfires: "Welcome to summers in Montana."
"I have no sympathy for politicians in Washington, D.C., who are complaining about air quality," the Montana Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "This is exactly what happens when you don't manage forests."
Management of forests means "prescribed burns late in the season [and] sustained yield," Zinke added.
"Things are coming out of the forest one way or the other," he said. "They're either coming up by fires, or by rot or carbon captured by two-by-fours or four-by-fours, but this is what happens when you don't manage forests."
The congressman added that he sometimes thinks that the "East Coast needs to see what's happening in the West Coast."
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), research shows that changes in climate create warmer, drier conditions, leading to longer and more active fire seasons.
"Year after year, summer after summer, lessons are learned, and whether you're a climate believer or a climate denier, it doesn't relieve you of the responsibility to manage our forests," said Zinke. "We all want healthy forests."
He said he does sympathize that many people are suffering from the air quality with the smoke pollution coming from the Canadian fires, particularly the elderly or those with health conditions.
"This is not good, but it's a reminder that we need to be a lot better, and more aggressive on managing our forests," said Zinke. "Everyone loves a healthy forest because when you have a healthy forest, you don't have these catastrophic burns that not only have devastation about the air we breathe, but a lot of damage."
However, there are "a lot of techniques and a lot of science" behind managing forests, said Zinke. "[This is a] reminder that it takes active forest management for a healthy forest."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.