Rural North Carolina Pays the Price for Environmental Rules That Let Forests Burn

North Carolina’s mountains are burning. Since March 19, 2025, wildfires like the Black Cove Fire Complex have scorched Polk and Henderson counties, with flames now licking at Swain and threatening Transylvania from South Carolina’s Table Rock Fire. Over 23,000 acres have been reduced to ash, and 34 counties, plus the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ tribal lands, are under a state of emergency. The human toll is palpable: evacuations, disrupted lives, and rural communities staring down economic ruin.

Governor Josh Stein’s March 26 executive order, declaring a state of emergency, was a necessary step. It mobilized the State Emergency Response Team, banned open burning, and secured a FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant. But let’s be clear: this is a Band-Aid on a wound that’s been festering for decades. The real issue isn’t just drought or dry conditions, though those play a role. It’s the failure to manage our forests proactively, shackled by bureaucratic inertia and misguided policies.

The North Carolina Forest Service’s statewide burning ban is a reactive measure, not a solution. Over 2,348 wildfire incidents this spring alone scream for a reckoning. Rural families, farmers, and small businesses can’t afford another season of government playing catch-up. It’s time to face the truth: our approach to wildfires is broken, and the cost of inaction is measured in lives and livelihoods.

This isn’t about pointing fingers at Stein alone. It’s about a system that prioritizes red tape over results. The question is whether North Carolina, and the nation, will finally embrace the bold, common-sense reforms needed to prevent these disasters, not just mop up after them.

Why are North Carolina’s wildfires so relentless? Look no further than decades of mismanaged forests. Fire suppression policies, dating back to the early 20th century, have left our woodlands choked with deadwood and dense underbrush, perfect fuel for catastrophic blazes. Add to that environmental regulations that stall thinning projects, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. The Fix Our Forests Act, championed by conservative lawmakers, is a step toward cutting this red tape, but it’s not enough without state-level action.

North Carolina’s drought, with 39.23% of the lower 48 states parched as of April 2025, doesn’t help. Moderate drought in the southwestern mountains, flagged by the state’s Drought Management Advisory Council, has turned forests into tinderboxes. But drought isn’t the sole culprit. Overgrown forests, left untouched because of endless environmental reviews, are the real accelerant. Conservative voices have long called for mechanical thinning and controlled burns, yet bureaucratic hurdles keep these solutions on the shelf.

Contrast this with the private sector, where landowners manage forests with precision to reduce fire risk. Federal and state lands, however, are bogged down by litigation and regulatory overreach. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 tried to streamline fuel reduction, but its impact has been dulled by persistent delays. North Carolina’s rural communities, from Polk to Swain, are paying the price for this paralysis.

Some argue that climate change is the primary driver, pointing to warmer temperatures and erratic rainfall. They’re not entirely wrong, climate shifts do intensify fire conditions. But leaning on climate as the sole scapegoat dodges the real issue: we’ve neglected our forests for too long. Throwing money at resilience programs, as some advocate, won’t fix the root cause. Only active, science-based management will.

Wildfires don’t just burn trees; they devastate lives. Rural mountain communities, like those in Henderson and Polk counties, face economic devastation. Agriculture and tourism, linchpins of these economies, grind to a halt when smoke chokes the air and flames block roads. California’s 2020 wildfires cost its wine industry $3.5 billion; North Carolina’s smaller-scale farms and bed-and-breakfasts can’t absorb losses like that.

Low-income families and Native American communities, such as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, are hit hardest. Studies show that over 12 million socially vulnerable Americans live in high-risk fire zones, and minorities face steeper recovery hurdles due to historical inequities. When wildfires strike, these communities lose homes, jobs, and stability, with ripple effects lasting years.

Emergency responses, like Stein’s deployment of firefighters and shelters, are critical but temporary. The State Emergency Response Team’s coordination with local agencies deserves praise, yet it’s a reactive fix. Prevention, through forest management, would spare these communities the trauma of evacuation and loss. Instead, we’re left with a cycle of destruction, disproportionately harming those least equipped to recover.

There’s a path out of this mess, and it starts with empowering local communities and landowners. Conservative principles of local control and private-sector innovation hold the key. Streamline permitting for thinning and deadwood removal, as proposed in the Fix Our Forests Act. Expand timber sales to fund restoration projects, creating jobs in rural areas. And prioritize science-based prescribed burns, which have proven effective when not stalled by federal overreach.

North Carolina’s emergency declaration is a start, but it’s incomplete without long-term reform. The state’s Forest Service and Emergency Management Office must work with private landowners to clear fuel loads before fires ignite. Mutual aid agreements, like those used in March 2025, show what’s possible when agencies collaborate. Scaling up these efforts, with less federal micromanaging, would give communities a fighting chance.

Opponents will cry that easing regulations risks environmental harm. They miss the point: overgrown forests are an ecological disaster waiting to happen. Proper management protects ecosystems, wildlife, and human lives. The real harm is letting bureaucracy dictate outcomes while fires rage.

North Carolina’s wildfire crisis is a wake-up call. Over 23,000 acres burned, thousands displaced, and rural economies teetering, all because we’ve prioritized caution over action. The state’s emergency measures are necessary but fall short of addressing the core issue: our forests are fuel waiting for a spark. Bold reform, rooted in active management and local empowerment, is the only way to break this cycle.

This isn’t just about North Carolina. It’s a national challenge. From California’s $250 billion in losses to the Southeast’s worsening droughts, wildfires are a growing threat. Conservative solutions, emphasizing streamlined regulations, private-sector ingenuity, and science-based land stewardship, offer hope. Let’s act now, before more communities burn.