Wild Fires are in portions the United States

[Still_Small_Voice]

About 95 fires have destroyed hundreds of homes, caused the evacuation of more than 1,000 people and burned 1.1 million acres in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada and Colorado.

 

About 200 active duty military personnel will help battle wildfires ravaging seven Western states, the National Interagency Fire Center said Monday in a news release.

 

Read more here:

 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/17/us/western-states-wildfires/

 

[pam]

And next month I'm heading right into where a lot of those fires are.  I'm hoping they will be all under control and out by then.

[NeuroTypical]

Evacuating due to forest fire is not fun.  Everyone brush up on your evacuation plans!

 

(If you don't have one, it's a good idea to get one.  You don't need to live in a forest to get evacuated due to forest fire.)

[Guest]

I'm about a half hour drive from the massive Soda Fire in Idaho. We still can't see much blue sky for all the smoke in the air. Air quality is at orange alert, nearing red. The plumes of smoke going up last week were so huge that they looked like they were just the next street over.

 

Worst of all is the loss to farmers and ranchers in that area. Over 400 square miles of range land, totally scorched. A lot of livestock was lost. Even if things grow back next year, the BLM won't let them use the land for 2 years. I'm not sure what the ranching families are going to do. 

[Traveler]

I'm about a half hour drive from the massive Soda Fire in Idaho. We still can't see much blue sky for all the smoke in the air. Air quality is at orange alert, nearing red. The plumes of smoke going up last week were so huge that they looked like they were just the next street over.

 

Worst of all is the loss to farmers and ranchers in that area. Over 400 square miles of range land, totally scorched. A lot of livestock was lost. Even if things grow back next year, the BLM won't let them use the land for 2 years. I'm not sure what the ranching families are going to do.

This problem is not new but it is getting bigger. It is my personal opinion that much of the problem is Eastern environmentalists trying to impose their concepts in the West. One of the problems to the Eastern environmentalists is land owned by the LDS Church in southwestern Wyoming. This land is scientifically managed for maximum use of one of the west largest cattle ranches – plus it is used for recreation by hundreds of thousands – mostly for handcart simulation – and the land is used for wild game reserve. All together under carefully monitored use.

What has been found is that the land can be highly used – maximizing cattle and recreational use and – surprise; the land will also support more wildlife than land left to nature without the cattle or human use. This completely disproves the prevailing environmental argument that developing land will disrupt wildlife – especially endangered wildlife. The truth is that by controlling environment uses we can maximize the development and wildlife. This is a truth that politically motivated environmentalists will not accept regardless of scientific evidence. The problems of fire in the west are increased by current environmental regulation. We could do much better but I doubt politics will allow it.

Btw – this is not just a Democratic Party problem but a problem that the Republicans have not done an intelligent thing yet; as well.

[Guest]

It's definitely a mismanagement problem. I agree it's not a partisan issue; it's people who know nothing about managing range land imposing harmful restrictions on the farmers and ranchers who do know how to manage it.

[lonetree]

Here's hoping the fires are as destructive to mountain pine beetles.

Edited August 24, 2015 by lonetree

[Traveler]

Here is another thought.  Fires can have a profound impact on weather and climate especially within the echo system of a forest.  Destroying a rain forest can turn an area into a desert.   I have in my personal library -- Hmmmm use to have, just checked and it is no longer there - a book about the forests and the seas.  The premise of the book is that our great forests have as much impact on weather and climate as does our seas.  

 

Trees in large quantities will draw energy and cool areas and even cause rain in the process.  In many areas of the west trees reside in a rather delicate balance with nature - many trees grow slowly and do not get tall in limited rainfall.  Scrub oak and ponderosa pine come to mind.  During the dry summer months this flora becomes dry and susceptible to fire - well planned and placed roads (for working the land and for recreational use) actually help protect areas from fire damage.  And cattle maintaining the grass from overgrowth is also a great help - but for the most part political eastern branded environmentalists will not hear of it.

[NeuroTypical]

I've planted over 100 trees on my treeless land since we moved in - around 20 pines are surviving to maturity.  Through the process, I've learned that a wise and well-placed line of trees can make roads and driveways remain clear of snow during blizzards.  Or at least prevent 3'+ snow drifts and make it more feasible to keep roads open in winter.  

 

I see some landowners who have done it wrong, and plant trees that practically guarantee their driveways are covered with deep snow drifts after a blizzard.  

 

Kind of a micro tale to compliment traveler's macro tale.

[Vort]

I've planted over 100 trees on my treeless land since we moved in - around 20 pines are surviving to maturity.  Through the process, I've learned that a wise and well-placed line of trees can make roads and driveways remain clear of snow during blizzards.  Or at least prevent 3'+ snow drifts and make it more feasible to keep roads open in winter.  

 

I see some landowners who have done it wrong, and plant trees that practically guarantee their driveways are covered with deep snow drifts after a blizzard.  

 

Kind of a micro tale to compliment traveler's macro tale.

 

So what's the planting strategy?

[NeuroTypical]

In my neck of the woods, the winter blizzards follow a usual pattern.  High winds just a few ticks west of true north.  A tree, or a row of trees, will impact the snowfall.  Interfere with the wind speed, and the blizzard will dump it's snow on one side of the tree and leave the other side with a light dusting or even bare.  There's a science behind it a Forest Service guy explained to me once.

 

So, along a county road by my house, there's a row of trees to the north.  Every blizzard, those trees gather two feet of snow that would otherwise end up on the road.  It's kind of nice, knowing a) someone was that smart, and b) they managed to do something about it on a road I use.