There is a lot of fear and fatalism around #ClimateChange and #wildfire. The combination of these two will cause significant ecosystem change, think forest to grassland. Large, hot wildfires are the catalyst for change. We can reduce the amount of change that occurs... 1/n
by restoring fire to these ecosystems. Changing our relationship with fire will help ecosystems and reduce the impacts of large, hot wildfires on communities. It does not matter how hot and dry it is if there is nothing to burn. We can manage the surplus vegetation... 2/n
that has built up because we have put out fires for over 100 years. Coincidentally, even if this surplus vegetation doesn't burn in a wildfire, hotter droughts will cause more of it to die anyhow. Fast moving fires like the #CreekFire are supported by large amounts of... 3/n
fuel, including all of the trees that died in the 2012-16 drought. If we restore fires to these ecosystems, we reduce the amount of energy stored in the system that can be unleashed in these fast-moving, hot wildfires. We have a choice and choosing to restore fire... 4/n
means that we will need to deal with some smoke from managed fires. If you live in the western US, you live in a flammable environment. We've been forcing these ecosystems to conform to our desires for decades and now we are paying the costs. Smoky skies are normal here... 5/n
during the summer and clear skies unusual. We need to accept that or we will continue to maintain conditions where a fire can go from ignition to 30,000+ acres in a day. It's up to us. We can be terrorized by wildfire or deal with some smoke periodically. It's that simple.
