Ever been hiking in the San Gabriels? What do you see and smell there? You see brush and sage; both are native to the region.
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In the past, fires used to burn slowly, and in patches: old growth would burn a lot... but it would get restricted by new growth.
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Letting fire burn in the sage and chaparral regions of Southern California is the only way we avoid the GIGANTIC fires we're known for now.
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Look at Mount Wilson: The LA Times documented long, slow burning fires there in 1896. And 1898. And 1900. That's what's BEEN happening.
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But now, the forestry puts fires out in an INSTANT. Our policy is one of fire *suppression* that only makes things worse.
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We're so busy sinking money into saving rich people's desires to live in nature away from the riff raff that it's costing LIVES!
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As someone who knows that climate change is spurring all kinds of disasters, I also know that it's not spurring these Southern Cali fires.
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It's almost certain that the drought here is a consequence of climate change... But that drought isn't the reason we've these crazy fires.
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Reason Southern Cali fires are out of control is a direct consequence of the idea that we can suppress wildfires. Umm, hello? They're WILD.
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Anyway... I talked to a fire ecologist about a lot of this; he can explain it much better than I can:http://grist.org/article/smokey-was-wrong-you-cant-prevent-wildfires-and-you-shouldnt-try/ …
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The next time you see a SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FIRES ARE THE END OF THE WORLD story, please pause, and come back to this.
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Nature will take its course. Fuel-filled sage and brush ALWAYS burns; either slow, long burn now, or GIGANTIC quick burn tomorrow. You pick.
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Here's what they've done at Lake Arrowhead, where they haven't had a proper fire in 137 years. I just...pic.twitter.com/QwrYJ44BJB
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To clarify: I've been tweeting about Southern California brushfires specifically; other regions/vegetation = other explanations.
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totally agree- so. california is + was a desert, very dry region. aren't low income communities also losing homes to fires tho?
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*Part* of California is a desert; the part I'm talking about is not—it's Mediterranean climate here
@Kfaragon -
You asked a good question about low-income communities; a lot of these places are very rich, like Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga
@Kfaragon -
Other more isolated communities, like Lake Arrowhead, do have more low-income communities now — workers to service the rich
@Kfaragon -
Also, diff consequences: low-income residents are unable to afford insurance, can literally lose everything; rich residents don't
@Kfaragon -
so twisted
End of conversation
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