7 ms·

Why are there always so many fires in California?

0_____0 6y ago
Always have been. It's a part of our state's ecology. Our forests require them in order to stay healthy, and native peoples were mediating the process for thousands of years before Western settlers decided fire was dangerous and had to be stopped. Now our forests and the fuel structures therein are way out of whack and we're finding our way back toward balance.
conception 6y ago
Draught and historically poor land management.
dmode 6y ago
Combination of multiple reasons that are coming to a head now. Massive heat waves, long running droughts, decreasing rainfall, with more development farther out from urban core etc.
brudgers 6y ago
It’s big, dry, and mostly remote rugged terrain.
jlmorton 6y ago
Because it's wet in the winter, and hot, dry and windy in the summer. Everywhere with this weather pattern sees frequent wildfires. California used to have more acres burned annually a hundred years ago, but the amount of land burned has decreased since then, as a result of suppression efforts. This may be increasing the severity of fires, as there's more fuel to burn.
hadlock 6y ago
Coastal California sees rain from about the end of October through February, then tapers off to about nothing by May. It then does not rain again until Halloween. I used to think "doesn't rain" meant "half an inch every couple of weeks" but it does not rain in fact at all, it's totally bone dry for the hottest part of the year, until late fall. Getting three inches over the weekend is enough precipitation in the bay area to warrant flood warnings for several days. Compared to Dallas Texas where three inches in an afternoon might cause very localized flooding for an hour or two. It's quite bone dry here in the summers, the ground is literally "tinder dry" for months on end. If you look at meso scale weather, there's a high pressure zone that develops between San Fransisco and Hawaii every summer which wards off low pressure (rain) systems. Generally develops by early June and lasts through August. Research "Pacific High" or "TransPac weather routing" or "Pac Cup weather routing" it's a major component of Pacific Ocean sailing races
- pueblito 6y ago
  I reckon that 3" of rain in a day would cause serious flooding here in southern Colorado. It'd certainly set a record! I don't think I've seen so much in my entire life, so it floors me to hear it's no big in Dallas
- ojbyrne 6y ago
  Most of the areas where the fires are typically get a lot of moisture in the summer from the "marine layer" i.e. fog. Not sure if that was the case this year.
bregma 6y ago
Like eastern Australia, it's the normal ecology for that climate. The native species have evolved to benefit and prosper from the fire cycle. The present-day human population, their works and imported flora and fauna, are not evolved the same way. This is a problem.
stjohnswarts 6y ago
There are always naturally started fires and they happen relatively often, what happens though is humans come along, build in the middle of the forest and then put out all the small fires and brush, leaves, fallen trees and branches build up over decades and when one of those small fires gets bigger and bigger and can't be contained, you get what is happening right now.

Always have been. It's a part of our state's ecology. Our forests require them in order to stay healthy, and native peoples were mediating the process for thousands of years before Western settlers decided fire was dangerous and had to be stopped. Now our forests and the fuel structures therein are way out of whack and we're finding our way back toward balance.

conception 6y ago

Draught and historically poor land management.

dmode 6y ago

Combination of multiple reasons that are coming to a head now. Massive heat waves, long running droughts, decreasing rainfall, with more development farther out from urban core etc.

brudgers 6y ago

It’s big, dry, and mostly remote rugged terrain.

jlmorton 6y ago

Because it's wet in the winter, and hot, dry and windy in the summer. Everywhere with this weather pattern sees frequent wildfires. California used to have more acres burned annually a hundred years ago, but the amount of land burned has decreased since then, as a result of suppression efforts. This may be increasing the severity of fires, as there's more fuel to burn.

hadlock 6y ago

Coastal California sees rain from about the end of October through February, then tapers off to about nothing by May. It then does not rain again until Halloween. I used to think "doesn't rain" meant "half an inch every couple of weeks" but it does not rain in fact at all, it's totally bone dry for the hottest part of the year, until late fall. Getting three inches over the weekend is enough precipitation in the bay area to warrant flood warnings for several days. Compared to Dallas Texas where three inches in an afternoon might cause very localized flooding for an hour or two. It's quite bone dry here in the summers, the ground is literally "tinder dry" for months on end. If you look at meso scale weather, there's a high pressure zone that develops between San Fransisco and Hawaii every summer which wards off low pressure (rain) systems. Generally develops by early June and lasts through August. Research "Pacific High" or "TransPac weather routing" or "Pac Cup weather routing" it's a major component of Pacific Ocean sailing races

pueblito 6y ago
I reckon that 3" of rain in a day would cause serious flooding here in southern Colorado. It'd certainly set a record! I don't think I've seen so much in my entire life, so it floors me to hear it's no big in Dallas
ojbyrne 6y ago
Most of the areas where the fires are typically get a lot of moisture in the summer from the "marine layer" i.e. fog. Not sure if that was the case this year.

bregma 6y ago

Like eastern Australia, it's the normal ecology for that climate. The native species have evolved to benefit and prosper from the fire cycle. The present-day human population, their works and imported flora and fauna, are not evolved the same way. This is a problem.

stjohnswarts 6y ago

There are always naturally started fires and they happen relatively often, what happens though is humans come along, build in the middle of the forest and then put out all the small fires and brush, leaves, fallen trees and branches build up over decades and when one of those small fires gets bigger and bigger and can't be contained, you get what is happening right now.