Fires
Every year around September / October, fires rage through California. A devastating phenomena, similar to the hurricane season faced in other parts of the country. Most regions in the world battle the elements in some way - whether its monsoons, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc.
This series of fires is unique in that there are quite a few factors leading to it: unprecedented temperatures, a heat dome, 14,000 lightning strikes over a 24-hour period, and 150 million-plus dead trees related to a multi-year drought.
Somewhat frequent fires are actually healthy. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for foresters. Controlled fires are actually done frequently with the following benefits (from Wikipedia):
Controlled burning is conducted during the cooler months to reduce fuel buildup and decrease the likelihood of serious hotter fires. Controlled burning stimulates the germination of some desirable forest trees, and reveals soil mineral layers which increases seedling vitality, thus renewing the forest. Some cones, such as those of lodgepole pine and sequoia, are serotinous, as well as many chaparral shrubs, meaning they require heat from fire to open cones to disperse seeds.
When fires don’t happen in a given year, the problem worsens drastically - dead brush builds up & the eventual fire burns much hotter, making it extremely difficult to combat. Keep this in mind when reading the doom & gloom on media outlets - although less sensationalist, there’s another side to the equation.
Image of the Day:
Photograph: Downtown San Francisco, yesterday