Wildfire

There is a large wildfire in East Texas, it is not until I saw the video that I realized how big and how dangerous and difficult to contain such fires are:

http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2011...st-texas-fire/

There's a huge one on the border of AZ and NM. I'm not even sure how much they've got contained, but I know it's the biggest one in AZ history. It's horrible. I'm so tired of hearing about wildfires in the states. They're devastating.

Arizona Wildfires

The prevalence of incredibly damaging wildfires is due to a 100 year history of fire suppression. Thank Smoky the Bear for completely criminalizing fire, which is an important and irreplaceable ecological process. Texas and Arizona wildfires are so bad because the lack of prescribed burning and allowing areas to burn periodically has allowed extremely flammable mesquite to become the dominant plant in those systems. If these areas were allowed to burn every few years, the mesquite would be replaced by plants that have less above ground biomass to burn, thus reducing the chances of catastrophic life threatening and property destroying wildfires.

Local gummints here have forbidden private fireworks due to the dangers of fire because the drought is breaking records and grass is dry and crisp. I can see that, from what I've seen of the guys setting off back yard fireworks in the neighborhood, it is difficult to be sure where the spent firecracker will land.

But they are making noises about people should not even backyard bbq. I'm not so on board with that although I can see the possible dangers..

Originally Posted by snowgyre

The prevalence of incredibly damaging wildfires is due to a 100 year history of fire suppression. Thank Smoky the Bear for completely criminalizing fire, which is an important and irreplaceable ecological process. Texas and Arizona wildfires are so bad because the lack of prescribed burning and allowing areas to burn periodically has allowed extremely flammable mesquite to become the dominant plant in those systems. If these areas were allowed to burn every few years, the mesquite would be replaced by plants that have less above ground biomass to burn, thus reducing the chances of catastrophic life threatening and property destroying wildfires.

Although there is some truth to what you say, it's the damn tree huggers that are the problem IMO more so then Smoky. Responsible forestry happens in many other parts of the country. But where the tree huggers have an influence, it's all over grown and unmaintained. Insert lack of rain in many parts of the country, and conditions are prime for wild fire.