Community Stories

California on fire

pdxleaf
Posts
5,085
Likes
17,685
20200912_193913.jpg


The smoke is hanging in the air. It's like you are standing next to a camp fire that you just dumped water on. Hard to breathe. My clothes smell like smoke and I only went out to dump the trash. Pretty humbling. Hard to comprehend all the people who lost homes.
 
michael22
Posts
1,790
Likes
2,001
Back in Australia, today's Sunday papers in Sydney are running a story about people complaining of smoke from fuel reduction burns.
The burns have been going on for 2 wks or more. Only 6 months since their houses were in danger.
 
Professor
Posts
2,327
Likes
2,539
If there ever was a time when finger pointing and blaming was called for this is certainly it. Though a bit too late for those who have lost everything this time around.
Some seem to believe that if you can't prevent each and every fire from spreading there's no use in even trying to prevent any fires from spreading.

Fear of Producing CO2 by burning waste wood in powerplants has led to increased CO2 due to wildfires burning that exact same wood which takes homes and entire townships with it when it goes up in flames.
If you want to blame the fires on a dry climate be my guest, but whatever the cause, failure to actually do what is needed to reduce the damage and loss of life is entirely on the State Government.
 
wagudc
Posts
4,619
Likes
11,686
Professor Professor
If there ever was a time when finger pointing and blaming was called for this is certainly it. Though a bit too late for those who have lost everything this time around.
I have no idea what you are talking about. I live in a small town in California and we have two biomass / wood waste power generation plants. They are seen as a net benefit to the climate by government and environmentalists alike, because as you say the CO2 released by the plants is offset
Some seem to believe that if you can't prevent each and every fire from spreading there's no use in even trying to prevent any fires from spreading.

Fear of Producing CO2 by burning waste wood in powerplants has led to increased CO2 due to wildfires burning that exact same wood which takes homes and entire townships with it when it goes up in flames.
If you want to blame the fires on a dry climate be my guest, but whatever the cause, failure to actually do what is needed to reduce the damage and loss of life is entirely on the State Government.


I really feel this is the wrong place to have this discussion. I don't want this to become a pissing match, but I come from a place of knowledge. I am a mathematics professor with several co-authored papers published in forestry and wildfire-specific journals. I have published papers in wildfire modeling and fuels assessment. This summer I consulted with an environmental science professor on developing metrics to quantify the climate impacts of leaving fuel in the forest, versus removing them for biomass energy generation.

The small town I live in has two biomass energy generation plants and they are seen as a net benefit to the climate by environmentalists and government alike. However, the economics of removing fuel from the forest and getting it to the power plant don't always work out. There are many factors at play here, climate, forest pests (like sudden oak death and bark beetles), and a long-standing national (not state) fire-suppression policy are likely the biggest factors. As I said before this is a complex problem, with no easy solution.

Please stop hijacking this thread with your politics, and over-simplified science. I get it, you don't like the California State government. I don't either, there is a lot not to like. However, it is not just California that is having problems. The entire western US is in the same boat, and so was Australia earlier this year.



Here is a link on history of fire suppression:
https://foresthistory.org/research-...-service/u-s-forest-service-fire-suppression/
 
pdxleaf
Posts
5,085
Likes
17,685
One thing that is impressed upon me is the massive scale. The entire West coast is impacted.

While the solutions and causes are complex, one simplified thought is that we better figure out how to live together because we are all in it together. There's no running off to the cities or countryside.
 
wagudc
Posts
4,619
Likes
11,686
pdxleaf pdxleaf
One thing that is impressed upon me is the massive scale. The entire West coast is impacted.

While the solutions and causes are complex, one simplified thought is that we better figure out how to live together because we are all in it together. There's no running off to the cities or countryside.

Indeed. Let's hope for a big rainstorm without lightning.
 
Tony C.
Posts
7,684
Likes
26,644
Some frightening context: the largest fires in CA over the past 88 years...

cfire5.png
 
wagudc
Posts
4,619
Likes
11,686
NGO1 ngo516
Thank you for bringing science and logic into this discussion.

Scientifically, can we summon rain?
Is cloud farming possible to help reduce the spread of fire at this magnitude? I know many countries studied this for decades. Beijing pulled off a minor miracle last Olympic to ensure a clear day/week. (Or so they claimed)

it’s a pretty good time to push this monster tech to practical if the US gov possess such tech or developing it.

My understanding of cloud seeding is that you release particles in the sky for water droplets to begin to form around. The smoke is already putting particles in the sky, there just isn't enough moisture there to produce rain. So sadly we have to hope that moisture moves in from another area, but also hope that the weather system doesn't bring lightning.
 
river rat
Posts
1,034
Likes
5,487
In Montana due to we have a hell of a lot of lightning a lot of our fires are from lightning not man made. When a lot of these fires started in California they had lightning like we have in Montana and I lived in Calif from 1958-2014 never did we have lightning like that in the bay area. They showed the lighting on the news and my sister told me about it she still lives there. Any one notice there home insurance have been going up fast every year most likely due to increasing fire every year.
 
Wetworks
Posts
996
Likes
1,861
Japanred Japanred
Better than being pessimistic.
People today are so if/then, black/white. Why be either? Can't pragmatic, realistic, or any other myriad states of mind be an option?

The fires are horrific. I read an account of a teenager who doubled back with the family dog to where the handicapped grandparent was left behind to die so they wouldn't die alone. Any of the fires with a clear indication of purposeful or negligent actions by a person should result in hefty criminal charges.
 
Walrus
Posts
9,893
Likes
47,174
I think it was last year Netflix did a documentary on the previous years fires. They were interviewing fire fighters and the people who lost everything. Something that struck me was one of the fireman, looked to be in his 40’s, was saying the last few years he tells himself it can’t get worse than this but each year surpasses the next. Sounds like this year is following that pattern. I feel a little powerless. I’d like to give to some relief efforts but my main focus has been on food banks and homeless shelters. It would be nice to hit powerball do I could become a full time philanthropist.
 
dsio
Posts
30,250
Likes
35,966
I’ve deleted a bunch of political related posts because we don’t do politics here as it ruins friendships and goes off the rails quickly.

We started this year in Australia with one of our worst fire seasons in history and seeing our friends in America suffering through the same is equally as distressing. I hope everyone and their families stay safe and would strongly request the politics stay on Facebook and not here.
 
Wetworks
Posts
996
Likes
1,861
dsio dsio
I’ve deleted a bunch of political related posts because we don’t do politics here as it ruins friendships and goes off the rails quickly.

We started this year in Australia with one of our worst fire seasons in history and seeing our friends in America suffering through the same is equally as distressing. I hope everyone and their families stay safe and would strongly request the politics stay on Facebook and not here.

Sadly, I found that part very funny! 😁
 
dsio
Posts
30,250
Likes
35,966
Wetworks Wetworks
Sadly, I found that part very funny! 😁
Well its also true, why shit on our floor when facebook have built a perfectly good toilet.
 
NGO1
Posts
1,399
Likes
7,626
dsio dsio
Well its also true, why shit on our floor when facebook have built a perfectly good toilet.

Facebook guy here. Imma just quietly sending you libra coins for this anal-ogy.
Cause I’m stealing this for the next time we have a staff meeting about Twitter.
 
wagudc
Posts
4,619
Likes
11,686
Looks like Portland, OR had some terrible air today. I hope it clears up for you. Stay safe people.
 
28 More Posts...
Sign up or log in to reply...

Similar threads

Laharrier

Rare 1945 Rolex Oyster Precision Double Reference Semi-California Dial 4461/4377 34.5mm

Laharrier Private Watch Sales
Laharrier
Laharrier
Posts
4
Views
7K
kov

Why are the Holy Grails on fire?

kov Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
sevenhelmet
sevenhelmet
Posts
50
Views
5K