CampFire
- Thread starter TarHeelEer
- Start date
If it was like Gatlinburg, he may not have had a choice, there's only one way out, and...
No matter what you think of his politics and normal twitter life, James Woods has turned his twitter into fire central.
https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods
https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods
I read some interesting points of view on this topic today. The southern fire was mostly chaparal, so mitigation there is a non-factor. In the north, it was a mix of different areas, chaparal being one kind. They also said that some of the burned area had timber taken off it in the last few years. The main contributing factors were a lack of rain and high winds in both regions.
California Today: 100 Million Dead Trees Prompt Fears of ...
The more than 100 million trees that died in California after being weakened by drought and insect infestations have transformed large swaths of the Sierra Nevada into browned-out tree cemeteries
102 million dead California trees 'unprecedented in our ...
The number of dead trees in California's drought-stricken forests has risen dramatically to more than 102 million in what officials described as an unparalleled ecological disaster that heightens ...
The more than 100 million trees that died in California after being weakened by drought and insect infestations have transformed large swaths of the Sierra Nevada into browned-out tree cemeteries
102 million dead California trees 'unprecedented in our ...
The number of dead trees in California's drought-stricken forests has risen dramatically to more than 102 million in what officials described as an unparalleled ecological disaster that heightens ...
I think the point is obvious though. Fires are a natural occurance there. Mitigation is just a common sense measure.
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Agreed where it makes sense. Raking the forest floor doesn't make sense. The leaves and pine needles hold moisture and tend to keep the trees healthier. Raking, outside of raking stuff way from your home, doesn't help. The chaparal is a completely different animal. I only know what I read about that, and it doesn't sound like there's much you can do interms of mitigation there.
I'll add that wind blown embers in a dry environment will make fires spread very quickly. Once a fire starts, that's the real danger. The conditions in CA were perfect for fires. They were in a long dry spell, and it was really windy.
This is largely true as to the ignition points, however restrictions on clearing other areas of brush and dead timber fed fuel for these fires. That was entirely avoidable. Wind and lack of rain are of course nature and can't be controlled by Men.
All true. In years past out there, they prepared for dry spells and anticipated the seasonal Santa Ana winds that blow hot dry air around by clearing brush and building breakwalls into the tundra in case of wild fires. All of that stopped in the late 90's when environmentalists started insisting the brush clearing was harming natural habitats and should be stopped. Nice move!
No one builds miles long fire breaks, and that's what they would need to avoid the wind problem. A big chunk of the forest that burned ha recently been timbered. I have no idea how well those folks cleaned up after themselves, but it's not like those areas hadn't seen a saw in ages.
Ironically, nature has developed this self administered way to do a lot of that (clearing) without our help. We haven't always been around to "manage" the clearing of dry tinder, and similar to how the Oceans largely self clean, Forests are managed by nature the same way through sporadic wild fires. The problems come when we start building valuable property in areas that shouldn't have them because of the danger. Like beach front homes in hurricane zones, and expensive villas constructed near heavily wooded areas. Sometimes we ask for more trouble than we can easily avoid.
I agree on the choices for development. If you hide your cash in a tinder box, don't be surprised if it burns up one day.