I think the differing views of the two articles can be boiled down to simple history. The idea that light burning could cause massive environmental issues is something that, by now I sincerely hope, is gaining popularity. The understading that groups were managing the land far ealier than european settlers is, I think a great historical stopping point. The first article by the USFS goes over the history but does not go far enough back which I think is the fallacy of that article.
