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One of the big problems is that controlled burns can and do become uncontrolled burns. The largest ever wildfire in New Mexico was started as a planned burn (mo

One of the big problems is that controlled burns can and do become uncontrolled burns. The largest ever wildfire in New Mexico was started as a planned burn (more honest label) just last year. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/05/27/new-mexico-wildfire-service-controlled-burn/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/05/2...

BobbyJo 3y ago
I'd rather experience frequent uncontrolled burns in areas that do regular controlled burns than even a single uncontrolled burn in an area that doesn't.
- putnambr 3y ago
  Without prescribed burns it's only a matter of time until we experience another 'Big Blow Up' - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_1910 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_1910
bo1024 3y ago
Of course, this is discussed in the article.
- benatkin 3y ago
  It should be addressed in the headline. Controlled burns can prevent wildfires. There, I fixed it.
  - dang 3y ago
    Ok, we've canned the title above. Thanks!
WhatsTheBigIdea 3y ago
All of the Rangers and CalFire people I know never call them "controlled burns". Rather they call then "prescribed burns"... for exactly this reason.
- MrVandemar 3y ago
  In Australia (or at least, the West of it) we call them "Hazard Reduction Burns".
eunoia 3y ago
This unfortunately has happened more than once in NM. The Cerro Grande fire started in similar circumstances and almost burned down LANL. IIRC they actually had to temporarily displace the radioactive glass from the original Trinity tests as it was in danger from the fire.
m00x 3y ago
Canada recently had a "controlled burn" that was made by an international association. They weren't trained on Canadian forests properly, now it's a huge wildfire.
- spicymapotofu 3y ago
  Which was this? The Banff one [may 4] doesn't seem related to this, and if anything seems to defend the practice by example - 31 hectares burned, 28 of which were planned, and only three horse stables were damaged despite weather changing suddenly and spreading the fire.
  - m00x 3y ago
    If you think 24,000 people evacuated and 3 extra hectares burned in an populated area isn't a failure, I don't know what to tell you. It also caused other fires in the area, which weren't announced since it would make them look bad. If you look at the wildfire map, it doesn't seem to be noted: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/3ffcc2d0ef3e4e0999b0cf8b636defa3 https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/3ffcc2d0ef3e4e0999b0c... AB governance is terrible right now.
DannyBee 3y ago
Yes, and this is (at least today) unsolvable. It's still got a much higher expected value to do prescribed burns have some of them turn uncontrolled than do nothing, or do what is happening now (pretend we can control for every variable).
- askvictor 3y ago
  Weather forecasting is pretty amazing these days, along with modelling, has changed the equations compared to decades past. It becomes a question of how much risk are you prepared to take vs how often you want to do a prescribed burn (sometimes favourable conditions (still, humid, not raining) don't show up for months or years.
brodouevencode 3y ago
How often do they get out of hand? Like in terms of percentage?
- lenocinor 3y ago
  The article cites a link and claims 1 in a 1000.

BobbyJo 3y ago

I'd rather experience frequent uncontrolled burns in areas that do regular controlled burns than even a single uncontrolled burn in an area that doesn't.

putnambr 3y ago
Without prescribed burns it's only a matter of time until we experience another 'Big Blow Up' - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_1910 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_1910

bo1024 3y ago

Of course, this is discussed in the article.

benatkin 3y ago
It should be addressed in the headline. Controlled burns can prevent wildfires. There, I fixed it.
- dang 3y ago
  Ok, we've canned the title above. Thanks!

WhatsTheBigIdea 3y ago

All of the Rangers and CalFire people I know never call them "controlled burns". Rather they call then "prescribed burns"... for exactly this reason.

MrVandemar 3y ago
In Australia (or at least, the West of it) we call them "Hazard Reduction Burns".

eunoia 3y ago

This unfortunately has happened more than once in NM. The Cerro Grande fire started in similar circumstances and almost burned down LANL. IIRC they actually had to temporarily displace the radioactive glass from the original Trinity tests as it was in danger from the fire.

m00x 3y ago

Canada recently had a "controlled burn" that was made by an international association. They weren't trained on Canadian forests properly, now it's a huge wildfire.

spicymapotofu 3y ago
Which was this? The Banff one [may 4] doesn't seem related to this, and if anything seems to defend the practice by example - 31 hectares burned, 28 of which were planned, and only three horse stables were damaged despite weather changing suddenly and spreading the fire.
- m00x 3y ago
  If you think 24,000 people evacuated and 3 extra hectares burned in an populated area isn't a failure, I don't know what to tell you. It also caused other fires in the area, which weren't announced since it would make them look bad. If you look at the wildfire map, it doesn't seem to be noted: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/3ffcc2d0ef3e4e0999b0cf8b636defa3 https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/3ffcc2d0ef3e4e0999b0c... AB governance is terrible right now.

DannyBee 3y ago

Yes, and this is (at least today) unsolvable. It's still got a much higher expected value to do prescribed burns have some of them turn uncontrolled than do nothing, or do what is happening now (pretend we can control for every variable).

askvictor 3y ago
Weather forecasting is pretty amazing these days, along with modelling, has changed the equations compared to decades past. It becomes a question of how much risk are you prepared to take vs how often you want to do a prescribed burn (sometimes favourable conditions (still, humid, not raining) don't show up for months or years.

brodouevencode 3y ago

How often do they get out of hand? Like in terms of percentage?

lenocinor 3y ago
The article cites a link and claims 1 in a 1000.