[wcarron]

Here in Flagstaff and NAZ we've been getting hit hard by huge wildfires. The amount of fuel in these forests is mindblowing, and terrain is often a big challenge, too.

Luckily, we had a heavy monsoon season last year and a brutal winter. So much water that roads/levees have broken and lakes that are normally dry beds were overflowing. This has abated the normally horrible winds of April/May. This wet and abnormally calm weather has allowed for some action and I'm beyond pleased to have seen numerous prescribed burns in the forests around town this year. I really hope they can keep it up and treat a few thousand more acres before conditions turn.

The forest service seems like it does a good job here with fuel and flood management. There are still pockets of land that are wayyyy overladen/undertreated but much of the area, especially near town has been treated with thinning and slash and burn piles.

Unfortunately, the logging industry here is deteriorating and one of the longest-running operators closed shop. A few factors contributed to this, including the failure to open an OSB plant in Winslow, and the closure of a local mill just before the turn of the millenium. A damn shame, as logging ops really bolster the ability of the FS to manage fires.

[SV_BubbleTime]

Interestingly enough, a large water event before doesn't mean a mild fire season.

In more northern areas, a lot of snow and water means a lot of grass, and that grass will dry out by August.

It's not kindling, but it's the paper.

[dylan604]

Just this week, there was a post here about an invasive plant in the Sonoma desert that has taken off this season because of the extra rain, and this is one of their concerns outside of it being invasive. It's just going to be fuel for any fires that might start.

[mooreds]

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35955089 for those who want to read it or the discussion.

[wcarron]

Yeah, we're all pretty concerned about that. We'll see if we get another heavy monsoon season to dampen the potential for big fires midsummer. Fingers crossed.

Unfortunately, we've got a bunch of events coming up that are going to draw big numbers of off-roaders and 'overlanders' who are, imo, some of the worst and least responsible recreators. Some of us are bracing for fires being started by them.