For over a hundred years, wildland fires have been put out as quickly as possible, as often as possible, more so as urbanization moves in. The result is a backlog of forest fuel buildup, for which the practical removal solutions are overwhelming. All you need today is either dry lightning or a spark from anything, and you get a really big poof. Then in a high wind, a fire can travel consistently faster than a bicycle, and many times faster at peak moments. It’s an angry animal.

So just keep in mind, though today’s fire news will be tomorrow’s faint memory; the really big under-addressed problem in the forest is exponentially increasing fuel buildup, which the last-minute-managers in government have yet to come to grips with. 100,000 acre fires used to be rare, now they’re commonplace. Increasingly longer dry seasons don’t help either. Talk to Al Gore about that one.

A long time ago, the forests could take care of themselves because they were so big. Now they’re so much smaller, management is required. Example, there are only exactly THREE remaining places in the entire world where Redwoods still live; one in China, the other two in CA. That is IT. Do we reallly want to forever lose trees older than Jesus? And BTW, don’t forget the Amazon Rain Forest.

CalFire, OTOH, is agile. The Guvernator signed an executive order to put the DC-10 supertanker on contract back in May, and it was done in time for the start of offical fire season on June 15, which will run until Nov. 15. However, Feb was the only month in the last 20 months without a wildfire.

GB

Fox News Headline: “ALIEN CONFIRMS AL QAEDA STARTED FIRES–WAIT JUST A FREAKIN’ MINUTE, WHAT ALIEN? SHOULDN’T THAT BE OUR LEAD STORY? OH, RIGHT, GOTTA WORK AN AL QAEDA ANGLE ON EVERYTHING, EH?

Well, can you imagine the disaster if he actually could? Since he can’t, I guess we all have a reason to celebrate Thanksgiving next month.

1. at face value, a hit squad was on the way, and was subsequently discovered/thwarted

2. ‘chatter’ was released about hit squads with no one actually going anywhere, so as to f**k with secret service

3. a hit squad was dispatched as misdirection; like when someone starts a building fire to occupy civic response, while a bank robbery is executed

We’ll need some relaxing music as we brace ourselves for the parade of the politico photo ops.

First on the agenda is comparison with Katrina, footage with Chertoff walking around with Governator, stressing how everything is going swimmingly; I guess to repair the image damage from Katrina.

How do I know this is all about image? Southern Louisiana is still an un-recovered disaster area, that’s how.

Apples and Oranges. Dealing with a hurricane for which there was no dress rehearsal is simply NOT the same as dealing with wildfires which we out here have faced every year since our earliest memory. California has simply had more practice in a live situation, with a much bigger population to answer to.

Next up, Bush arriving tomorrow. I suggest he land in Palmdale, and stay out of the way.

I haven’t been to Indiana, but I have seen other states with heavier foliage, and I can see how Camp Pendleton could look underwhelming by comparison; like for example where some of my relatives live in Maryland.

It is however, one of the few places here still maintained in it’s original natural state. As an L.A. native, it looks wonderful to me.

Did you know there are campgrounds inside Camp Pendleton boundaries which are open to the public; with hiking trails leading to breathtaking views of the coast?

http://thinkprogress.org/