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Wildfires Rarely Encounter Fuel Treatments

from George Wuerthner

One of the problems with "active management" i.e. thinning etc. is that wildfires rarely intersect with fuel treatments during the period when they may be effective. Even if active management worked—a disputed assumption—most projects rarely encounter a fire. And when they do, if there is extreme fire weather conditions, it doesn't matter because embers blow right past these thinnings, prescribed burns,etc.

This is a good graphic from Tiana S. down at the U of Colorado in Boulder that shows that. And something that proponents of thinning, etc. rarely acknowledge.

Image 20191210135451 1