California’s Forests Are Prone To Devastating Wildfires. Experts Think Controlled Burns Could Help With That.
Controlled burns allow experts to control the time smoke is released, keep the destruction contained and away from vulnerable people, and can make it easier for firefighters to control wildfires' behavior.
Capital Public Radio:
Should California Deliberately Set Its Forests On Fire? Some Experts Say Prescribed Burns Could Prevent Disaster.
David Murray is a burn boss — at least that’s what his colleagues call him. He leads a crew of firefighters in the Tahoe region, and on a recent October afternoon he was concerned, because the winds were set to kick up overnight. “We were hoping that the wind event wouldn’t happen,” Murray said while working a fire at Sugar Pine Point State Park on Lake Tahoe’s northwest side. To prepare, his crews used hoses to put out the fire perimeter. (Romero, 11/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Power Lines Keep Sparking Wildfires. Why Don’t California Utility Companies Bury Them?
Why don’t they just put the damn power lines underground? In fire-scarred California communities, that question is being posed, often angrily, as evidence mounts that the state’s traditional overhead electrical power grid is at times a liability, culpable for starting some of the state’s biggest blazes. (Bizjak, Bollag and Kasler, 11/16)