Complex Nature of California Wildfires

[BigHornRam]

Good write up about what is going on in California and the big fires they are having there.

https://treesource.org/news/lands/southern-california-wildfires/#more-1732

 

[Nameless Range]

Very interesting article.

One of the folks interviewed in the article says this:

“A good example is the Thomas fire,” he said. “We have a fire history map and it shows that there was at least 1,000 acres of prescribed burns done within the last decade within that perimeter. It made no difference.”

Instead of treating fuels in the wild areas of California, he said, managers should focus on protecting an area of about 100 feet around every house. That open perimeter makes a significant difference in whether a house burns down; it gives firefighters space to mount a defense.

I think thousands of houses have burned down in the recent fires they've had, and I wonder if they will consider this when they rebuild. Thanks for sharing the article.

 

[406LIFE]

Very interesting article.

One of the folks interviewed in the article says this:



I think thousands of houses have burned down in the recent fires they've had, and I wonder if they will consider this when they rebuild. Thanks for sharing the article.

From the fire ecologists I have spoken to the WUI is by far the biggest concern, yet people like "living in the trees." I doubt there will be a decline in building in the WUI (where else would they go?) but building smarter is a hope.

 

[BigHornRam]

This was an interesting point in the article..........

But now, using fire to reduce the fuel load in chaparral can have a detrimental effect because the vegetation has since evolved with large, infrequent fires rather than frequent fires.

Some plants – including California sagebrush – regenerate after fires, sprouting new branches from their burned stumps. Others require heat or chemicals from fire for their seeds to germinate. The adult plants die off, but the seeds produce their replacements.

The problem is that if fire is too frequent, those plants won’t have enough time to produce seeds to replace themselves. When the shrubs start to disappear, non-native grasses take their place.

 

[hank4elk]

Good article.
Having lived on the Central Coast & being involved in WUI decisions since I was a kid,folks will still want to live on the ridge & in the canyons. There is the rub.
Where to build,how to build with fire & native conditions have been part of my life as a builder & later as a involved member of discussions with USDA-FS over Urban Wildland Interface Zones.
It was a big factor in where I would live when I retire
Not IN a canyon choked with trees waiting to burn or flood. Not next to a house that is a fire hazard.
I know 2 families that lost homes & business' in the Thomas Fire. Several in the ensuing mudslides.
Some friends are still not home.Some will never call it home again.