4 ms·
burnt trees are not good fuel. areas that have "burnt through" are lower fire risk. dead, unburnt trees are the problem.
by cwlb 5y ago
burnt trees are not good fuel. areas that have "burnt through" are lower fire risk. dead, unburnt trees are the problem.
- Trisell 5y agoDead burnt trees fall down and rot feeding the next fire that comes through that forest. Instead of logging those trees and using them leaving good trees and new growth behind.
- droopyEyelids 5y agoSounds like you're missing the concept of the fuel class of wood in a wildfire. https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr164/rmrs_gtr164_06_fuel_load.pdf https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr164/rmrs_gtr164_06_fue... That explains some of it, but different types of fuel take different amounts of time to catch fire, so like a dry prairie can catch on fire about instantly, but live saplings of 1" will not burn unless the fire keeps going for an hour. A decomposing log on the forest floor won't really burn till it has been in a fire for somewhere around 100 hours.
- Trisell 5y agoUntil you have walked through a modern fire nuke zone. It’s like walking on the moon. Nothing under a foot across is left. This picture is very typical of what is being left behind by the large self sustaining fires. https://images.app.goo.gl/jcLatNG6dAdpoALY8 https://images.app.goo.gl/jcLatNG6dAdpoALY8 Source: Spent 10 years as a wildland firefighter on major fires my whole career. And still have friends and family that are deployed on fires today.
- nosequel 5y agoI appreciate you defending this position. I bought 50 acres of land burned in a very hot forest fire 9 years ago. While there is some grass and some bushes around, the 50 acres of trees have now all fallen by now and are rotting. Some of them have stayed hard and are super annoying to cut with a chainsaw, but others I can kick apart with my boots. Either way I use them for firewood at my campsite and they ignite instantly with no work on my part. Until you have walked through a real fire zone, you can't fathom what it really looks and feels like. Also, thanks for being a wildland firefighter, lots of us who live in hills and forests really really appreciate you.
- prawn 5y agoHow's your land looking now?
- nosequel 5y agoNo living trees that I didn't plant myself. The fire was so hot all the seeds died as well. So the idea that a new forest would spring up from the ashes was sort of wishful thinking.
- prawn 5y agoOuch! I know of someone that put in about 10,000 small trees and had them almost all cleaned out by rabbits. Do you write/post about your land anywhere? Would be an interesting story to follow.