Forest management is missing piece of California’s wildfire puzzle
A good portion of JRC's work involves "proper forest management," or caring for forests to ensure they are as healthy as possible through thinning, harvesting, reforestation and other methods. The company was founded by
Fire suppression started in an effort to protect people, as populations moved to more rural, forested areas. Berryman pointed to the Great Fire of 1910 as the impetus for fire suppression in
Suppressing fire, though, can contribute to overgrowth and longer times between fires. Overgrowth means more fuel for a fire when it does burn, and longer times between fires creates higher fire intensity when a blaze is ignited, Lindler said.
Mitigation of fuels is essential to curbing instances of catastrophic wildfire. Extreme blazes happen, in part, when fuels are out of balance, Lindler explained. The "wildfire triangle" illustrates the three primary factors that contribute to a fire: topography, weather and fuels. While we can't control the weather or topography, Lindler said, we can manage the fuels. Logging is one way to do that. "It does not need to be industrial logging to make a difference," she asserted.
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A common refrain in certain circles is that by logging, people have interfered with the natural landscape and that interference has contributed to wildfires. Asked what she would say to people who hold that belief, Lindler pointed to the Ferguson Fire, which has burned nearly 100,000 acres in
Lindler and Berryman provided a tour of a portion of the
While there are many rules in place in
Unfortunately, many people don't worry about fire safety and creating defensible space around their homes until it is too late. Berryman, who served as the head of the
"People didn't show up for the meeting, but they showed up when fire was lapping at their doorstep," Berryman said. This also means that resources which should go toward fighting wildland fires must be diverted. Berryman added, "Too many
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