California on fire
A very impressive outline. This is my cut version with a rechnical rather than political emphasis.
Summary:
(1) The climate is conducive to bushfires.
In the south, Chaparral. Heath-like shrubland, dense, highly flammable, it cannot be burned safely for fuel reduction; it either will not burn at all, or it burns with uncontrollable violence.
Fuel-reduction burning to reduce the bushfire threat is well-nigh impossible in chaparral country.
The N.California coniferous forests, mostly pine, some Redwood and Douglas fir. Dense second growth. For centuries before European settlement these areas were regularly burned by the indigenous Americans, making them virtually wildfire-proof.
(2) The vegetation is highly flammable, especially when dried out by Santa Ana winds - very dry, very hot, comes fast like opening the door of a blast furnace.
(3) Management policies favour emergency response over preparing potential fire grounds.
(4) Increasingly, firefighters are relying on water/retardant dropping aircraft, despite the fact that they are useless in suppressing high-intensity fires.
(5) Big population increases in fire-vulnerable townships at the bushland interface.
US forest management now has a fire brigade approach. Bushfires are not regarded as predictable and so forestallable, but as an emergency requiring the full panoply of 20,000 firemen and squadrons of DC10s dropping retardant.
Blaming climate change is just too easy, it gets in the way of what must occur: a reappraisal of the way Californians live in and manage their forests.
Summary:
(1) The climate is conducive to bushfires.
In the south, Chaparral. Heath-like shrubland, dense, highly flammable, it cannot be burned safely for fuel reduction; it either will not burn at all, or it burns with uncontrollable violence.
Fuel-reduction burning to reduce the bushfire threat is well-nigh impossible in chaparral country.
The N.California coniferous forests, mostly pine, some Redwood and Douglas fir. Dense second growth. For centuries before European settlement these areas were regularly burned by the indigenous Americans, making them virtually wildfire-proof.
(2) The vegetation is highly flammable, especially when dried out by Santa Ana winds - very dry, very hot, comes fast like opening the door of a blast furnace.
(3) Management policies favour emergency response over preparing potential fire grounds.
(4) Increasingly, firefighters are relying on water/retardant dropping aircraft, despite the fact that they are useless in suppressing high-intensity fires.
(5) Big population increases in fire-vulnerable townships at the bushland interface.
US forest management now has a fire brigade approach. Bushfires are not regarded as predictable and so forestallable, but as an emergency requiring the full panoply of 20,000 firemen and squadrons of DC10s dropping retardant.
Blaming climate change is just too easy, it gets in the way of what must occur: a reappraisal of the way Californians live in and manage their forests.
https://youtu.be/s8PvHQqQxgU
I read about that at the time, before the fires. But you have made the link- gross irony.
https://www.google.com/search?q=“raci...
Now, granted, this is his own sentiment, though it does appear to make a lot of sense.
Humans used to blame the Gods for these kinds of things. More praying and sacrifice was always needed. Not much has changed.
Part 2: the number of Fire Fighters in California is (my guess) 1/3 of those working in the 1980's and the Civilian Conservation Corps was down from 72 fielded 'teams' in the 1970's to less than 6 in 2005.
If you don't clear the deadwood, it burns. If you don't have enough Fire Fighters to counter the fires, it burns.
Result - many dead, billions of board feet of lumber is now ash and the cost of homes sky-rocketing.
Moonbeam listened to the tree-huggers whose ignorance is evident every fire season.
https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doome...
(I usually check ... )
and typo rechnical shoild be technical.
DrZarkov99, thanks for update.