For the last three years a combination of rising temperatures and droughts have caused California to lose a major portion of it’s wildlife and natural beauty. Now, scientists are saying that with the ever warming of the globe, we should expect wildfires to continue to affect the Golden State. According to an article published in the New York Times, the National Climate Assessment has stated that rising temperatures will continue to play into wildfire growth. With plants drying out and a severe lack of rain in the area California has become the first victim to this unbelievable problem. According to the article “The total area burned in a single year by wildfires in the United States has only exceeded 13,900 square miles,” that’s an area larger than the entire country of Belgium. What’s worse is that officials say there is almost no way to fight these fires once they ignite, we have to rely on low winds and humid environments.
The article stated that a possible cause of the fire was a malfunction of major transmission line. It is not clear whether or not that was the main cause for the fires. What has become clear however is that there more negative affects of wildfires outside of the out of the blue evacuations of upwards of nearly 60,000 people. These fires destroy precious ecosystems and lands that house some of the country’s most beautiful wildlife. So how do you fight the ever growing rate of devastating forest fires?
One solution is to use controlled burns, or prescribed forest fires. In Georgia this technique allows for struggling ecosystems to get back to their roots. “Those blazes allowed some species that could withstand some fire, like the longleaf pine, to proliferate and flourish shaping local ecosystems,” what that means is that these fires can play a positive role in an area. Not to mention how much money is saved with controlled burns meant to mitigate wild fires. The cost of fighting a wildfire can be $1,000 per acre, while the cost of a controlled fire is about $35 per acre. But the article goes on to state that too many factors play into the success of a controlled burn. For example if an area is damp fires won’t catch and if an area is too dry the fire won’t be contained so easily. Still scientists agree this is the best way to prevent wildfires.
As we lose more and more land and ecosystems to wildfires we have to think about sustainability. If fires the size of Belgium ignite every year, there won’t be much land left for animals and people alike. On top of that areas like California that experience long periods of drought need to be able to sustain water supplies to not only keep people that live there happy, but also fight the now expected major fires.