Being the largest forest fire in the country, the Derby fire is getting plenty of national attention. While they say it is “devastating a Wilderness Area,” the fire is actually burning on the edge of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. Much of the country burned is scenie farm and pasture. The Times is using “wilderness” in a generic fashion.
As with the 1988 fires in Yellowstone, the beauty of the country will return. The devastation is temporary.
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