THREAD: President Trump threatened to withhold federal aid for the #CaliforniaWildfires today, blaming them on a lack of forest management in the state.
Here’s a closer look at the president’s overly simplistic & false claim -- & the full set of factors driving these fires.
Here’s a closer look at the president’s overly simplistic & false claim -- & the full set of factors driving these fires.
Trump said this at campaign event in Pennsylvania:
“Maybe we're just going to have to make them pay for it, because they don't listen to us. We say, you've got to get rid of the leaves. You've got to get rid of the debris. You've got to get rid of the fallen trees.”
“Maybe we're just going to have to make them pay for it, because they don't listen to us. We say, you've got to get rid of the leaves. You've got to get rid of the debris. You've got to get rid of the fallen trees.”
First, California owns just 2% of forest land in the state, while the federal government owns upwards of 60%, accd. to Keith Gilless, chairman of the CA Board of Forestry & Fire Protection.
The rest is owned by private landowners, timber companies and Native American tribes.
The rest is owned by private landowners, timber companies and Native American tribes.
Forestry & fire experts say dense material on forest floors can make fires worse. But that’s not what’s driving them.
Gilless says California’s extreme heat, the siege of lightning strikes and low humidity all combined to cause the fires.
Gilless says California’s extreme heat, the siege of lightning strikes and low humidity all combined to cause the fires.
Gilless added: “The problem is not simply one of accumulation of some organic material on the floor of the forest.”
He called Trump’s statement “simplistic and misleading.”
He called Trump’s statement “simplistic and misleading.”
Trump made a similar claim in 2018, as California's deadliest fire burned.
We rated that False, here’s why: politifact.com/factchecks/201…
We rated that False, here’s why: politifact.com/factchecks/201…
