I am a logger that actually did fuel management in these specific areas, it is a very important thing that politics has made a mess of. That being said it has nothing to do with what is happening here right now.
Some of the places burning are places fuel management has been done and some of these places already burned up a few times over the last 10 years.
Also helicopters are not our problem heavy winds was grounding them anyways.
What do you think of the Stop the Spray BC movement? Sounds like they’ve been using herbicides to kill broadleaf trees which are important for fire breaks.
To keep this short: I think a balance between what we do and what stop the spray wants to do is ok.
Trees that excel on wet ground will be better fire breaks because their fuel is higher in the tree and the ground is wet. Yeah that helps as a fire break but it is not some super power. In my area you will naturally get small clumps of large aspens and then a lot of small aspen bushes. Those smaller trees/bushes burn up like anything else and they help guide the fires to their more resistant big brothers.
The fires happening around my city blew through a place I know well, it has a lot of aspen and swamps. The fire destroyed it all, maybe the aspen helped but not in a meaningful way. When the smoke clears maybe the picture will be different.
It is not realistic to assume that if we let aspen do what it wishes that it will make fire breaks that are of real value. Aspen is like a weed and if you cut all the trees down in an area the aspen bushes start to take over. That being said, a diverse forest is always going to be a better forest.
Appreciate your comment. At the moment wind is wreaking havoc but these fires were small for several days before they grew this large. A quick reaction would have saved so much effort and expense and grief.
I am not sure of which fires you are speaking of specifically, but the fires around my city were taken seriously right away. The ground type, location, wind and night are what escalated things.
On another note, fire is a natural part of a forests life. If we rush to put out everything which is not near cities or buildings, we are just pushing things back until the next fire in the area is even worse. It is better for the forest to burn a bit.
Some of the places burning are places fuel management has been done and some of these places already burned up a few times over the last 10 years.
Also helicopters are not our problem heavy winds was grounding them anyways.