Efforts To Fight Wildfires In California May Be Making Future Fires Worse
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The effort to fight wildfires in California may be making future wildfires even worse, according to a new report.
MinuteEarth posted a video report to YouTube explaining that by allowing forest fires to burn, and taking preventative measures of starting controlled burns, fuel for future fires is taken out of the equation.
The video explains that while there are fewer forest fires since 1970, the intensity of those fires has actually increased due to firefighting efforts.
"The good news is that we can prevent future wildfires from getting so wild by taming forests' fuel supply now. Essentially, this means letting some fires burn, or even starting them ourselves when conditions aren't too dry or windy, or selectively logging to thin out dangerously crowded growth" the video explains.
MinuteEarth explains that Congress may be impeding the U.S. Forest Service from carrying out the recommended controlled burns to reduce fuel for wildfires, because "Congress allocates the vast majority of fire management funds to emergency measures, rather than preventive ones."
