More fires in Southern California

911 said:
What is causing the fires? Storms, arsonists, carelessness with cigarettes and campfires?
Click to expand...
Calif is finally starting to listen to forestry experts who have been saying for decades that it's wrong to over-protect forests. Calif forestry services has been protecting under-growth and allowing it to flourish on the advice of the EPA.

But under-growth is basically kindling.

If left alone, the floor of a natural forest is relatively bare of under-growth because the trees protect themselves.
 

Murrmurr said:
Calif is finally starting to listen to forestry experts who have been saying for decades that it's wrong to over-protect forests. Calif forestry services has been protecting under-growth and allowing it to flourish on the advice of the EPA.

But under-growth is basically kindling.

If left alone, the floor of a natural forest is relatively bare of under-growth because the trees protect themselves.
Click to expand...
Somebody needs to fire all the knuckleheads that advised the EPA to protect these forests instead of leaving them alone to regulate themselves, like they have for millions of years.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Somebody needs to fire all the knuckleheads that advised the EPA to leave these forests alone to regulate themselves, like they have for millions of years.
Click to expand...
I think you mean fire the knuckleheads who listened to the EPA.

The under-growth - all the thick ferns and smaller trees and leafy shrubs - it's pretty, but for the trees, it's deadly.
 

@Paco Dennis I am so glad your brother is ok. I heard one news snippet comment the fires in one area were so hot, the water from the helicopters was evaporating before it hit the ground.

A lady on another forum has a grandson that has been fighting fires in Montana for much longer than normal.

I lived in SoCal’s Low Desert area for five years. The fires that started in my area were often sparked by the simple task of mowing and the blades hitting a rock, thus sparking a fire.

Twice meth labs at trailer homes blew up on the other side of the hill.

My biggest worry was something might happen while I was at work, an hour away. My horse trailer was NEVER unhooked from my truck. It was aimed at the alley gate, always with a full tank of gas, ready to blast through the gate if need be (my truck had an old fashioned steel pipe push bar. I did loading drills with my three horses once a month. They got to where I only needed to throw the lead rope over their necks, tell them to “hurry! Get up in there!”, and they would walk to the trailer by themselves <—-treats helped a lot😇😇

My dogs were always travel ready.

I was so glad to move back east of the Mississippi in 2003. However the weather has gone off the rails in a big way and my area is currently in the highest level of drought status. I need to bush hog but I won’t because I’m afraid the blades will spark a fire on the flat rocks up on the ridge. The last yard mowing was done three weeks ago and that’s it until next spring.

We have had some gigundus lightening storms that have sparked fires elsewhere. The few farms on this road all hold our breath and hope for the best.

I pray every day for the folks affected by these fires and floods🙏🙏
 
Remy said:
The two over the summer in Northern California, were arson and some idiot with fireworks. I don't think the firework idiot did it on purpose, but clearly sh*t for brains.
Click to expand...
I agree. We have laws in PA with using or setting off fireworks in state parks. People just don’t think ahead.
 
Murrmurr said:
Calif is finally starting to listen to forestry experts who have been saying for decades that it's wrong to over-protect forests. Calif forestry services has been protecting under-growth and allowing it to flourish on the advice of the EPA.

But under-growth is basically kindling.

If left alone, the floor of a natural forest is relatively bare of under-growth because the trees protect themselves.
Click to expand...
I have read that California has had this problem for years. I also read that the federal government allotted money to California to thin out the underbrush to help prevent the spreading of forest fires, but the governors or whoever oversees that project wasn’t taking the project seriously.
 
Remy said:
The two over the summer in Northern California, were arson and some idiot with fireworks. I don't think the firework idiot did it on purpose, but clearly sh*t for brains.
Click to expand...
Most of the fires near Reno have been caused by stupid people either on accident or on purpose. We had one yesterday but don’t know yet how it was caused.
 
911 said:
I have read that California has had this problem for years. I also read that the federal government allotted money to California to thin out the underbrush to help prevent the spreading of forest fires, but the governors or whoever oversees that project wasn’t taking the project seriously.
Click to expand...
I haven't heard that. I'm gonna look into it.

I know Calif gives a lot of weight to EPA "advisors", probably because we have more state parks than most states, and a few nat'l parks as well, but it turns out the EPA doesn't always get it right. When you compare photos of natural forests to managed ones, there are very obvious differences. Natural forests look pristine; Calif's managed forests look like jungles.

side note: When the General Sherman, one of our most famous giant sequoias, was threatened by a major forest fire last year, I learned that sequoias store gallons and gallons of water under their bark as a natural defense against wildfires. And the bark is super thick, too, so they can totally catch fire and still survive. No wonder they're thousands of years old, right?
 
I grew up in Colorado. We were always amazed at the homes in California that had trees and brush all around the structures creating a fire risk area. Many populated areas in Colorado have the same potential for fires in and around homes, but the residents keep the ground clear, except for grass that they keep well-trimmed. Accordingly, when fires do occur, they seldom spread into areas where homes are built. Hard for us to understand why those in California cannot do the same...?
 


Back
Top