
Why isn’t California using more prescribed burns to reduce fire risk? - nouveaux
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/01/why-isnt-california-using-more-prescribed-burns-to-reduce-fire-risk/
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dfsegoat
Sonoma County, CA here. My father worked in a State role allied with Cal-Fire
(formerly Cal Dept. of Forestry) and he directly assisted with permitting and
monitoring of prescribed burns.

His anecdotal take (which is not mentioned in the article) was that in the 90s
and early 2000s, prescribed burns were very common (even as a kid i remember
this). However, as more and more individuals started moving into the County
from other areas, the number of complaints about the smoke from prescribed
burns rose and the permit issuing process became more fraught with
environmental reviews (air quality impact specifically) & red-tape.

I am 100% convinced that the lack of prescribed burns is the issue up here in
Nor-Cal - they are rare compared to what I remember as a kid (several per
month).

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wysifnwyg
I saw similar issues in Shasta County and Butte County.

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jelliclesfarm
Over population and high density building

I spend an ungodly amount on weed abatement at my farm. We could also use
goats for weed eating.

Just because we have a lot of surface land doesn’t mean it can be inhabited
..ca is building indiscriminately. Human settlements next to wild areas with
fire hazard is the dumbest thing.

With a clueless young voting population, a state agenda to hound more and more
and a desire to get rid of CEQA makes people forget that land doesn’t not
always mean dwelling. Dwelling also includes environment and its limitations.

We are building homes ..and at high density..where land and forests should be
allowed to be wild and untamed. There is a delicate balance. Forest fires are
cyclical and periodical. This happens everywhere (think Scotland and heather
burns) and controlled fires are essential. You can’t do that if there are real
estate developments everywhere. There is such a thing as ecosphere and we must
remember that we are part of it.

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dwd
Cultural burns are a better option.

They require more time as they are slow burning and require the right
conditions. Far less likely to impact wildlife.

While there has been a lot of talk about it in regards to Australian
bushfires: Native American indians also had a history of prescribed burning in
the Sierra Nevada.

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jelliclesfarm
Yes..the native Americans(blackfoot, iirc) used to burn grasslands time a
stubble to stimulate new growth for bison to graze..the bison were herded in
tight groups and their stomping and dung created a grass mat...it’s those
controlled burning and tight bison runs that later resulted in the most
beautiful soil in this country.

It’s a system with many parts. We are part of the system. Industrial Ag and
factory farming and CAFOs have destroyed the equations that kept everything in
balance.

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dwd
There's some awesome scientific knowledge behind these practices developed
over a time period far longer than modern farming practice. Yet we seem to
think we know better. Industrial Ag/short-term profiteering have a lot to
answer for.

