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Aren't forest fires necessary for the some trees' seeds to open? So if we were able to prevent all fires, then either a large portion of the forest would die o
by yters 8y ago
Aren't forest fires necessary for the some trees' seeds to open? So if we were able to prevent all fires, then either a large portion of the forest would die off, or we'd have to engineer another huge intervention effort to repopulate the forest?
- zaroth 8y agoI think you’re right. It’s one of those “terrible ideas if it actually worked” kind of things. The best first-order defenses I’ve read about would be strict code for setbacks around houses to give a decent buffer between homes and forest, possibly some material requirements for roofs and siding, and generally making homes and communities more burn-proof. This obviously doesn’t help if there’s a raging inferno next door, but it shifts the curve. Second, is better warning and alerting systems, and better evacuation management systems to get people prepared to leave, aware of when they absolutely must leave, and able to leave quickly in the moment. These systems are severely lacking for any natural disaster response, not just forest fires, and I think we are long past due a complete rethinking of how our “911” services actually operate.