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2020-08-24 Government
California fires: State, feds agree to thin millions of acres of forests
[EASTBAYTIMES] The two dozen major fires burning across Northern Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, were sparked by more than 12,000 lightning strikes, a freak weather occurrence that turned what had been a relatively mild fire season into a devastating catastrophe.Yet what’s driving these enormous fires is not sparks, but millions of acres of fuel: bone-dry trees and brush that haven’t burned in many years.

Before the Gold Rush in 1849, large parts of California burned every few decades. Lightning fires burned for months, and native tribes burned the land, clearing out dead vegetation. But for much of the past century, as the state’s population has built homes, towns and parks in rural areas, firefighters have extinguished the flames to save property and lives, allowing forests and other landscapes to become unnaturally dense.

As a result, fires now burn hotter and with more intensity. Climate change is increasing temperatures and drying out vegetation earlier. And the reckoning is here.

"We have put out fires for 100 years. Now we are paying the price," said Scott Stephens, a professor of fire science at UC Berkeley. "It will take a while to make these forests healthy again. But it’s absolutely possible."

California has been increasing its efforts. Last week, in a little-noticed milestone, state officials signed a major agreement with the federal government that aims to reshape how forests are managed for years to come.

Under the plan, California agencies and the U.S. Forest Service will use brush clearing, logging and prescribed fires to thin out 1 million acres a year by 2025 — an area larger than Yosemite National Park every 12 months, and roughly double the current rate of thinning, which already is double rates from a few years ago.
Posted by Fred 2020-08-24 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11139 views ]  Top

#1 I was born here (San Diego) in 1942 and there used to be controlled burns/brush clearing years ago....and Gavin's wise ass comment California was penalized by Trump for "not raking a few leaves" he can EAT now.
Posted by crazyhorse 2020-08-24 00:13||   2020-08-24 00:13|| Front Page Top

#2 Send him a box of leaves and a lighter every now and then to keep him focused.
Posted by gorb 2020-08-24 02:39||   2020-08-24 02:39|| Front Page Top

#3 The climate change drivel by the Berzerkly mouthpiece is at odds with the real reason above it...

Odd to have it placed so it's so obviously nonsense in an MSM rag.

Maybe the editor will be placed on re-education duty.

Preventing it burning every year just means you get an unstoppable fire.
Posted by Bright Pebbles 2020-08-24 05:23||   2020-08-24 05:23|| Front Page Top

#4 beetles have killed more trees than climate change
Posted by Frank G 2020-08-24 05:34||   2020-08-24 05:34|| Front Page Top

#5 Nature doing its own thinning. Just more spontaneous and random. You can work with nature, but if you don't, you have no say.
Posted by Procopius2k 2020-08-24 07:01||   2020-08-24 07:01|| Front Page Top

#6 Ref #1: Having clearly reached the age of knowledge and discernment. Congratulations CH. Wishing you 10 or 15 more healthy ones. Oh WTF, how about 25 ?
Posted by Besoeker 2020-08-24 08:02||   2020-08-24 08:02|| Front Page Top

#7 beetles have killed more trees than climate change

And when the dead trees aren't cleared (as is the case here), they burn much better than live trees.
Posted by Mullah Richard 2020-08-24 08:42||   2020-08-24 08:42|| Front Page Top

#8 Hundreds of thousands of California residents flee as wildfires that have burned 1.2 million acres threaten their homes amid fears new thunderstorms could fan the flames with even more lightning strikes
Posted by Skidmark 2020-08-24 09:49||   2020-08-24 09:49|| Front Page Top

#9 Think of all the CO2 released into the atmosphere by the forest fires...

I would be glad it would cause faster regrowth, but they should be pondering the speeding up of their bugaboo warming.
Posted by trailing wife 2020-08-24 12:33||   2020-08-24 12:33|| Front Page Top

#10 The CO2 from a volcano eruption is absolutely immense. But the tree-huggers don't (won't) get it.
Posted by Clem 2020-08-24 13:17||   2020-08-24 13:17|| Front Page Top

#11 California fires: State, feds agree to thin millions of acres of forests

Dang! I had Bee, figured it was a riff on "controlled burns".
Posted by SteveS 2020-08-24 14:50||   2020-08-24 14:50|| Front Page Top

#12 Lemme guess: Califoria agrees to thin the underbrush, but the Feds will have to pay for it?
Posted by ed in texas 2020-08-24 19:12||   2020-08-24 19:12|| Front Page Top

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