OP did not say that climate change was not a factor. Both of these are contributing factors. I will second the point about lack of controlled burns and logging

OP did not say that climate change was not a factor. Both of these are contributing factors. I will second the point about lack of controlled burns and logging absolutely being a problem. Look at photos of western forests from the late 1800s and you'll see that we have far more trees now than a century ago. Here's an example of Yosemite valley: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/29/opinion/sunday/california-wildfires-forest-management.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/29/opinion/sunda.... A century of fire suppression and climate change have proved to be a dangerous combination. One of these is easier to correct though if we could get past the idea that every tree must be saved at all costs.