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{
    "pk": 62354,
    "title": "Vestal Fires and Virgin Lands: A Historical Perspective on Fire and Wilderness",
    "subtitle": null,
    "abstract": "In this seminal paper, Stephen J. Pyne explores the complex, often paradoxical relationship between fire and wilderness, two concepts deeply entwined in American land management and cultural identity. Pyne challenges the simplistic view that managing fire in wilderness areas is merely the restoration of a natural process, arguing instead that both fire and wilderness are cultural constructs—hybrids of nature and human values. He traces the evolution of fire use from early human history through industrial forestry to the modern era of “wilderness fire,” a phase marked by ideological and legal transformations following the Wilderness Act. Pyne argues that wilderness fire emerged not just as a technical challenge but as a philosophical problem, reshaping national fire policy and prompting broader acceptance of prescribed burning. Yet, he warns that this era is finite; as its philosophical fervor wanes, the operational challenges remain. Ultimately, Pyne calls for a pragmatic reconciliation of wilderness ideals with the ecological and cultural realities of fire, framing fire not only as a management tool but as a defining element of human and planetary history.",
    "language": "eng",
    "license": {
        "name": "",
        "short_name": "",
        "text": null,
        "url": ""
    },
    "keywords": [],
    "section": "Article",
    "is_remote": true,
    "remote_url": "https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3ct7n2hx",
    "frozenauthors": [
        {
            "first_name": "Stephen",
            "middle_name": "J.",
            "last_name": "Pyne",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "",
            "department": ""
        }
    ],
    "date_submitted": null,
    "date_accepted": null,
    "date_published": "1984-01-01T18:00:00Z",
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            "label": "PDF",
            "type": "pdf",
            "path": "https://journalpub.escholarship.org/gwf/article/62354/galley/48191/download/"
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}