California Fires

Firefighters from Stockton, Calif., put out flames off of Hidden Valley Rd. while fighting a wildfire, Friday, May 3, 2013, in Hidden Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Mel Melcon)

California is known for its fires being hard to contain and grow rapidly. Over the past few years, California has battered by more extreme fire seasons than prior years. Though most of these fires are started by arsonists or the ignorant, climate change is to blame for why they engulf such large amounts of acreage.

What does climate change have to do with California’s extreme fire season?

Recently, California suffered a massive 5-year drought (some say that we are still in a drought) that had devastating consequences on the state’s agriculture. Due to the lack of rain, most plant life dried up and became a fire hazard. And fires are what happened. Over the past 10 years, over 12 million or 12% of California has been scarred by wildfires. With California seeing a decrease in yearly precipitation, the state could see more droughts and more fires well into the future.

I do understand that climate change does not start most fires. Humans are to blame for most fires in California. Lightning strikes are also a factor in starting fires. In 2020, 650 fires were started by lightning. Most of the time, I hear about ignorant people throwing their cigarette butts out of their car windows or a trailer chain dragging and sparking. But once a fire is started, the fuel is all there. Dry brush for acres.

What can we do to lessen the extremity of California’s fire season?

Forest management is a big concern that needs to be addressed. All the dry brush, if maintained, could be eliminated by better upkeeping of our forests. Also if we change for climate change, see get involved, we could get California the precipitation it needs to keep its forests green.

Sources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/climate-change-increases-risk-fires-western-us

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54278988

https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/california-prepares-increased-wildfire-risk-air-quality-climate-change

https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/will-global-warming-produce-more-frequent-and-more-intense-wildfires?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products