Climate Priorities

Reading the non-stop drumbeat from Gov. Brown about Cap-and-Trade, our own little Paris Accord and whatever else he can think up (no need to link to any of it--you are already awash in it), I can't help wondering why he can't seem to focus on the biggest threat to the California environment that just keeps going and going?  Per KTVU

The last five years have been very dry and fiery in California, both in terms of numbers of wildfires that erupted through the state and the total acres burned. While the winter rains certainly wet the Earth in 2016, this year is also on pace to be a dangerous fire season, according to statistics released by the state.

In 2016, nearly 7,000 fires scorched a total of 622,000 acres throughout the state, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The year before that, 8,000 fires ripped through 880,000 acres of Earth, CalFire statistics show. The record year for acres burned in a fire was set in 2008, when more than 1. 5 million acres burned. The record year for number of fires battled was set in 1999, when more than 11,000 wildfires burned through the state.

This week, crews were fighting 14 large wildfires throughout the state, including the biggest one in Northern California’s Butte County, where the Wall Fire, which had scorched about 6,000 acres and displaced 4,000 people.

Dry years have fires.  Wet years cause undergrowth to bloom and hence more fires.  Wouldn't it be sensible to address this with more manpower, aircraft, trucks, lookouts, sensors, etc?  Isn't it obvious?

 

Comments

[Green is Dangerous]

The fact the environmentalist prevent land owners from clear cutting trees close to their houses has to be one of the main reasons for fast spreading fires.

If you review the codes, it is obvious "BIG Environment" is to blame.

[Joe]

I will put this original post right on top of the "I Told You So" pile. It was so obvious it was scary. The Mercury News also reported this week (too little too late) that three Grand Juries returned findings about the poor infrastructure maintenance in Napa/Sonoma that was dangerous.

@Green, I hear a lot more about certain authorities asking for more safe space around houses than homeowners want to cut (for privacy and shade reasons) that I hear about "Big Environment", but you could be right. Both could be the case.

Thanks for the reminder about how right I was, unfortunately. Now, about that $100B+ for High-cost Rail.................

[Cassandra]

Last year, while walking my dog, I noticed a huge cypress tree had branches that were getting closer and closer to the street. Called PG&E and they sent out a guy to check it out. Though I pointed out the low branches and mentioned their continued drooping, the inspector saw no evidence of the root bulb bulging the soil. He left a note for the homeowner stating that maintenance for the tree was the responsibility of the homeowner.

Within a week, a storm came through and the entire cypress tree fell, took out the power line and transformer and the block was cold and dark for 40 hours.

(Cassandra is the prophetess doomed by the gods to not be believed.)

[Sad State of Affairs]

C'mon now. The Legislature and the Governor are way too busy with transgender bathroom rights, free community college and re-elections to worry about these picayune issues. Get with the program.