Yesterday's #Washingtonfire in Tuolumne County was an excellent reminder of why size is a poor metric for fires. It was only 81 acres, not enough to even need a 209 report. But bc of where it started, 8 homes were lost, pets and livestock were killed. It was a disaster. 1/5
You might think "oh, it's only 8 homes." But these were all primary homes, not cabin/vacation homes. Since we scientists like to normalize when we compare things, you could even argue that at 1 home/10 ac, it has the highest area-weighted losses (0.1 h/ac) of 2021 so far. 2/5
By contrast, the mammoth #DixieFire is closing in on 750K ac and has burned ~1,200 structures. Even if 1,000 are homes (a high estimate), that's 1 home/750ac (0.0013h/ac) area-weighted. Which fire is worse? It's an absurd question -> both are disasters to those affected. 3/5
My point is this: firefighting resources don't get prioritized by which fire is biggest, they get prioritized by lives, infrastructure, and values at-risk. We need to get over our obsession with size. Focus on what is at risk and what is not. 4/5
I constantly bring this up because too often the focus is about preventing all fires (impossible) or keeping them small (also impossible), when it should be about mitigating disasters by reducing fire severity and supporting beneficial fire (absolutely possible to achieve). 5/5

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More from @pyrogeog

26 Aug
I'm very cautious about effectiveness of aircraft on #wildfires -- they are fantastic under certain circumstances, and just a huge waste of money in others. Was able to watch the air show streaming on #Airola fire this afternoon and took some screenshots for an explainer. 1/10
First, the set up for an airshow on this fire was basically ideal. Why?
➡️ Minimal wind and excellent visibility
➡️ Terrain was perfect for approach and drops
➡️ Top of the ridge was a grass-covered lava cap
➡️ Columbia airport 2 min away for reload
➡️ Reservoir RIGHT THERE
2/10
Retardant works best in light fuels where it can penetrate all the way to the surface, and where the flames will reach the pink line before it dries out. A fast-moving fire in grass is perfect. Here, the line in the grass stopped the fire's forward progress on the lava cap. 3/10
Read 10 tweets
24 Aug
As the #CaldorFire moves further east towards the high country, it will begin to hit areas affected by the large blowdown event this last winter. This is what we often describe as interacting forest disturbances, and it can result in unexpected fire behavior. 1/8 Giant root ball from fallen tree near Caples Creek, courtesy
A very strong east wind event hammered much of the Sierra on January 18-19th, knocking down thousands of large, otherwise healthy green trees. While east wind events are not uncommon in the Sierra (and can fuel fires in the autumn), this was particularly bad timing. 2/8
After a hot, dry summer and prolonged fall drought stressed the trees (and their root systems), the Sierra finally needed some much needed precipitation. At higher elevations, this fell as heavy snow across much of December and early January. So the tree crowns were loaded. 3/8
Read 8 tweets
23 Aug
If you are following the #CaldorFire or any other large fire, they are nearly all doing these streamed FB briefings now, often 2x/day. It's a great place to hear what the fire is doing, what the areas are they are worried about, and where they are building containment line. 1/4
On big fires, they are usually building line ahead of the fire, where they think they have the best chance of holding it safely. This is a hard lesson learned from many firefighters dying in the past. @BigWhiteFireDog wrote a great thread on this. 2/4
This type of line building is called "indirect attack" and it absolutely contributes to more area burned (which is one of the many reasons I don't like reporting area burned). But it also produces more successful outcomes, with fewer lives lost. 3/4
Read 4 tweets
6 Aug
This week, USFS chief Moore suspended Managed Wildfire and Prescribed Fire and pushed to suppress all fires quickly. Here's why that's a horrible decision that only exacerbates the wildfire problem. 🧵1/ n wildfiretoday.com/2021/08/03/for…
1) It puts firefighter lives at risk. Wilderness fires are some of the most difficult and dangerous to fight bc you can't use motorized equipment, the terrain is incredibly challenging, and it's very difficult to get in and out. Escape routes are limited if things blow up. 2/n
2) It can pull valuable air resources away from more dangerous WUI fires. Air resources (especially helicopters) are used to ferry firefighters, drop supplies, and drop water on wilderness fires, which 99% of the time threaten no one and no homes. 3/n
Read 13 tweets
5 Aug
I'm beyond 💔- I'm furious. We KNOW how to mitigate these disasters: prescribed fire, fuel reduction, structure hardening, etc. Politicians REFUSE to fund it, empower the right people, and change policies to support it. We CAN live w/ #wildfire, even under climate change. 🧵 1/
I'm tired of hearing about "managed retreat" from fire. Everywhere can burn. We will have to retreat from some areas due to drought & sea level rise - those are almost impossible to mitigate. But we can mitigate severe wildfire through smart planning and managing the land. 2/
Look at the history of Indigenous cultures in America. Where did they abandon their homes and move on? Chaco Canyon and other laces in the SW where drought made it impossible to live. But Indigenous people lived WITH fire across the US bc they used it to steward the land. 3/
Read 14 tweets
13 Sep 19
#wildfire mitigation strategies: a thread. The goal of many #wildfire mitigation strategies is NOT to stop a fire. It is to alter fire behavior, lower intensity, reduce embers, facilitate safe evacuation, and support firefighter safety. 1/n
Fuel treatments have repeatedly brought crown fire to the ground, lessened spotting distance and density of embers, and often occur along roads specifically to mitigate the situation we saw in Paradise -- trapped vehicles with trees falling on roads and high fire intensity.
Fuel treatments also give firefighters a safe place to work, when they have time to get there (also why they often occur on roads). Burnout operations are often anchored on fuel treatments, and many fire perimeters include sections of fuel treatments that were successful.
Read 13 tweets

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