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I learned the other day that the reason California is so prone to massive fires is because they do not allow fires to occur naturally, and instead do a lot of f

I learned the other day that the reason California is so prone to massive fires is because they do not allow fires to occur naturally, and instead do a lot of fire prevention work. Over time, ironically, this results in a ton of dead, dried vegetation accumulating. The general consensus among experts seems to be that nature needs a regular “release” for a lot of stuff, otherwise “pressure” builds up and results in what we humans consider disasters.

yardie 7y ago
If you let the fires burn out then you’re violating the people’s god given right to build a house in the middle of a forest full of kindling. In this country we can accept just about anything except for nature to run its course.
throw0101a 7y ago
> ... California is so prone to massive fires is because they do not allow fires to occur naturally ... This was "national policy" in US and it applied to all states, and not CA specifically. It was the scientific consensus and various agencies followed that advice. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wildfire_suppression_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wildfire_suppressio... We now know better, so the current scientific consensus is that the past consensus was wrong. Welcome to falsifiability.
mensetmanusman 7y ago
This is true, and ironically the more money that is invested in fire fighting, the more vegetation is allowed to build up for a future fire until the size overwhelms the current capital investment for firefighting. This funding policy guarantees larger and larger fires. Meanwhile, no one is seriously discussing this issue, and everyone is blaming it on climate change, which will only make the voters of California feel hopeless, and therefore do nothing about it.
- sagarm 7y ago
  I have passed controlled burns in the Sierras before, so it cannot be categorically true that California works to prevent all fires. Do you have a citation for this claim?

yardie 7y ago

If you let the fires burn out then you’re violating the people’s god given right to build a house in the middle of a forest full of kindling. In this country we can accept just about anything except for nature to run its course.

throw0101a 7y ago

> ... California is so prone to massive fires is because they do not allow fires to occur naturally ... This was "national policy" in US and it applied to all states, and not CA specifically. It was the scientific consensus and various agencies followed that advice. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wildfire_suppression_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wildfire_suppressio... We now know better, so the current scientific consensus is that the past consensus was wrong. Welcome to falsifiability.

mensetmanusman 7y ago

This is true, and ironically the more money that is invested in fire fighting, the more vegetation is allowed to build up for a future fire until the size overwhelms the current capital investment for firefighting. This funding policy guarantees larger and larger fires. Meanwhile, no one is seriously discussing this issue, and everyone is blaming it on climate change, which will only make the voters of California feel hopeless, and therefore do nothing about it.

sagarm 7y ago
I have passed controlled burns in the Sierras before, so it cannot be categorically true that California works to prevent all fires. Do you have a citation for this claim?