[EatingWithForks]

My understanding is that this isn't due to a lack of controlled burns but actually due to an unseasonally warm winter not killing bugs that attack and kill trees, leaving an excessive amount of dead wood to burn this year. No amount of controlled burning of the years before would prevent a lot of dead trees this year making for kindling.

[carabiner]

It's everything. Natives used to practice controlled burns to sustain habitability. Observe parallels to three sisters agriculture. Then as their populations were eradicated these methods were lost.

[seadan83]

Indeed. Though modern fire suppression is a huge factor. AFAIK fire suppression became industrialized following world war II (bomber type planes able to deploy large amounts of water, better radios and respirators). Even today, the mandate for fire suppression (in at least WA state) is all fires are to be put out within 24 hours. There are a few "let it burn" examples I'm aware of in CA

[secondcoming]

burning woodland has happened all over the world for centuries. It’s not a mystical skill or anything

[AlecSchueler]

Surprised this point wasn't higher up. I'm starting to see this everywhere, dry grass, yellow leaves, dead trees. Growing up in Ireland I never saw anything but green but it's become visibly more lifeless year on year since around 2017.

[dmix]

You’ve had warm winters every year since 2017 in Ireland? What about El Nina and the usual trends?

[AlecSchueler]

Yes, every year since 2016 has been above average and the average temperature has increased with every decade since the 1850s.

[xattt]

Specific to Atlantic Canada, there is a lot of felled trees turning to kindling after Hurricane Fiona last September.

[petsfed]

I know that's an issue along the continental divide, where the Pine Bark beetle is wrecking the forests (and the absence of sustained temperatures below -20F that kill off the beetle). Is that an issue in California?

[dontupvoteme]

What's the shelf life on DDT? Half joking.