Living in Washington State, my family and I know the fear and heartbreak that comes when the forest is on fire. In the past forty years, we have been evacuated from our home in the woods three different times. Each time, we didn’t know if we would return to find our house—and the beloved forest around it—still standing. By God’s grace, our home was spared. But not everyone has been so fortunate.
Across the West, thousands of acres have been reduced to ash. Homes have been destroyed. Families have lost everything, including their beloved pets. And perhaps most tragically, the animals who once roamed freely in those forests lose their habitats and their lives in silence, with no one to hear their cries. The beauty and balance of creation is scarred for decades, sometimes forever.
In the face of such destruction, there are those who willingly walk into the danger—the men and women who fight these fires. They battle the flames through exhaustion, heat, and risk to their own lives. Their sacrifice is immense, and their courage allows many of us to return home when otherwise there would be nothing left. To them, we owe gratitude beyond words.
The lives of man and animals are on the line every time there’s a forest fire!
And it is not only the flames that devastate. The air itself becomes heavy with smoke, choking skies for miles. Breathing can feel impossible. Long before masks became part of everyday life, we learned to wear them during our first evacuation, just to breathe through the haze. Both people and animals suffer from the aftermath—lungs weakened, lives disrupted, and landscapes altered for years to come.
What makes this reality even more painful is knowing that so many of these fires are preventable. Some are indeed caused by natural events. However, the majority are caused by careless mistakes—an untended campfire, a tossed cigarette, sparks from machinery, or acts of deliberate arson—have caused immense suffering. In a single moment of negligence or malice, years of growth, shade, and shelter can be lost in an instant.
We all share a responsibility for the forests and wild places that enrich our lives. They are not just backdrops for our adventures or scenery outside our windows—they are living, breathing sanctuaries for countless creatures and a source of air, water, and renewal for us all.
When we walk into the woods, we step into a cathedral of creation. To treat it carelessly is to take for granted a gift we cannot replace.
If you find yourself in the forest this summer, please carry with you not only your supplies but also a sense of reverence and responsibility. May we all do our part to protect what is precious, so that the stories of our forests are not only tales of fire and loss, but of care, hope, and restoration.
And this is where Tales of Benny Brook finds its voice. The stories of Benny Brook, Hoot, Bucky Beaver, Shell-Bee Turtle, and the many forest friends are more than playful adventures. They remind us that real animals, real habitats, and real lives are at stake when the forest is in danger. The characters may speak in stories, but their message is rooted in truth: the forest is their home, and they need us to care for it.
Tales of Benny Brook 