LOS ANGELES _ U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke blamed California's devastating wildfires on "radical environmentalists" who he said have prevented forest management.
In an interview with Breitbart News, Zinke said he agrees with President Donald Trump's comments about the fires being a result of poor forest management, and repeatedly named radical environmentalists as responsible for the devastation caused by the fires.
"It's not time for finger-pointing," Zinke said. "We know the problem. It's been years of neglect, and in many cases it's been these radical environmentalists that want nature to take its course. ...You know what? This is on them."
Zinke accompanied California Gov. Jerry Brown last week in a tour of the damage caused by the Camp and Woolsey fires, pledging to work together on recovery efforts.
He said the devastation he saw during his visit to California was unlike anything he has seen before.
Trump had threatened to withdraw federal funding from California, alleging poor forest management, but later took a more conciliatory tone.
The president walked alongside Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom during his tour of areas affected by the fires, despite loudly criticizing Brown on climate change and environmental regulations.
"I've known Jerry for a long time, but I think we've gotten closer today than we've got over the last 20 years," Trump said during his visit. "We both want to come to the right conclusion. And the right conclusion is we have to get these forest fires to stop."
The president also cited Finland as an example of a country with good forest management, saying it focuses "on raking and cleaning. They don't have any problem."
Experts agree that overgrown forests in California pose a heightened wildfire threat in some parts of the Sierra Nevada.
But although Paradise is near forestland, the wind-whipped Camp fire tore across areas that burned in lightning fires in 2008 and were later logged. It was not fueled by heavy timber. The blaze killed scores and destroyed more than 12,000 structures. Nearly 1,000 people are still missing.
The Woolsey fire, which burned Southern California suburban areas from Oak Park to Malibu, was not near any forests. It destroyed 1,500 structures and left three dead.
"The president is absolutely right" in his view of forest management, Zinke said. "You look at Finland. I had an opportunity to live in Germany. Their forests are healthy. They don't have catastrophic burns because they manage the forest."
Zinke went on to say that federal officials will need to work together with California's leaders on recovery and prevention efforts.
