Thread by @ericbkennedy

As usual, Trump seems remarkably confused about wildfire. As a professor who specializes in wildfire management, let's talk a little about what's /really/ going on... [1/n]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1190995035703185408

Point #1: Trump saying "you don't see close to the level of burn in other states" = technically correct but massively misleading. The primary reason is environmental factors: California has a perfect mix of weather, fuel, and landscapes for fire. [2/n]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1190995035703185408

A great resource to learn more about this is "California: A Fire Survey" by Stephen Pyne. But, it's pretty basic: it's like saying 'NYC sucks because it has more deaths than Flagstaff!'. Of course, it's WAY BIGGER. [3/n]

amazon.com/California-Fir…

California is:

> Big
> With great fire weather (e.g., temp, winds)
> With lots of fire-ready fuel
> With lots of terrain great for wildfire

Of course they burn more... they're facing a much harder wildfire challenge than, say, Long Island. [4/n]

Point #2: Firefighting in California isn't about water.

Water is only one of many ways to fight a wildfire. @CAL_FIRE & other agencies are remarkable at using every available tool. And, water is only really useful if it's right beside the fire. [5/n]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1190995042107887616

@CAL_FIRE Frankly, we've been around this block before and it's still not true. I'm happy to talk more about all the different tools firefighters use... but you'd think we'd be over this "need more water" after it was debunked last time. [6/n]

abcnews.go.com/Politics/calif…

@CAL_FIRE Point #3: Let's talk about this "forest management" stuff...

Look, this might not be popular... but we need to stop having /simple/ conversations about wildfire. Managing forests (and specifically allowing more fire on the landscape, not raking them) is critical. [7/n]

@CAL_FIRE On returning fire to the land, listen to voices like @ChristiansonAmy and @JaredDahlAldern on the importance of restoring fire and the critical historical AND CONTEMPORARY role of Indigenous fire management. [8/n]

Article: medium.com/wild-without-e…
Podcast:

https://twitter.com/yourforestpdcst/status/1172178457301700608

@CAL_FIRE @ChristiansonAmy @JaredDahlAldern But, for us on the green/left side of this, we have to remember that this isn't /just/ a climate story either! Yes, climate is a massive force reshaping wildfire and raising risk. But, it's so dangerous because it's multiplied by many other changes too. [9/n]

@CAL_FIRE @ChristiansonAmy @JaredDahlAldern Living with wildfire means:

🔥Restoring fire on landscape
🏗️Changing how we build homes & neighbourhoods
📋Vastly improving planning codes & inspections
🏠Keeping our homes fire-ready
🌎Mitigating climate change to reduce further⬆️risk

It's all of the above (and more!). [10/n]

@CAL_FIRE @ChristiansonAmy @JaredDahlAldern Fire is here to stay (and always has been). Blathering about 'forest management' and 'water' and 'urgh, California!' doesn't help anything.

We need nuance, we need to address all parts, and we need to learn to live with fire... together.

🔥🏠🌲🔥🏠🌲🔥🏠🌲🔥🏠🌲🔥

[11/11] fin.