A tree burns in California — from the base and from the inside. Aerial slurry drops don’t help because they can’t penetrate the forest’s thick upper canopy. Control ultimately requires people on the ground, individuals stamping out a few feet at a time. Tough, tedious, dangerous work. But it must be done. One must get to the source of a fire to stop it.
That’s true of a lot of things …
Along the Rio Grande, there are Cottonwoods everywhere. From what I understand, the root system is massive and their roots intertwine around one another. When there are major fires, the Cottonwood roots will start burning, and that fire will go from tree to tree underground via the roots. Scary.
I think I read somewhere when cottonwoods burn, they never come back. I guess that’s why. All the roots burn. And they are such a picturesque addition to our creeks and streams.
It’s such a shame to think of such majestic trees as in that picture being eaten alive by those flames.
Makes me cry. I visited Muir Woods once and it was one of the most magnificent natural wonders I’ve ever experienced. The thought of forests like that burning is just horrible. Selfishly, it’s knowing they’ll never grow back in my lifetime that upsets me. They might was well be gone forever. I won’t see them again, nor my son, nor my grandkids.
So, the dramatic burning tree image prompts me to think about climate change, of course! It is a case of altruism versus cynicism. Climate change is a long-term problem. Combating it will will satisfy those who actually wish for a better world but those who act in their own immediate self-interest see little value in putting resources into something that isn’t going to change much in the short term. Example: the stock market typically looks ahead about 6 months.
The fires show us that climate change is here. Now. And if we don’t act, we could all burn in an inferno instead of drowning in rising seas.
But this particular photo reminded me that the nation is burning both politically and socially, from the inside out and the bottom up. Like all great civilizations before it, it harbors the seeds of its own destruction. Unless we root them out.
There are currently 150 million dead trees in CA forests. Killed by extended drought and a bark beetle – both effects of climate change.
Sadly, it’s going to get worse and our leaders won’t address all the things they need to.
To a lesser extent, Colorado suffers the same conditions. We’ve had record fires (for Colorado) but nothing compared to the West Coast.
It is terrible and all those animals, helpless and dying terrible deaths. Yes, for anything we have to go to the source,
I know forest fires are natural and necessary, but when there are this many big ones out of control, it’s heartbreaking.