Not to be rude but Forest/Land Management is difficult. There are a lot of factors to consider when "cleaning" an ecosystem and essentially shaping it into what locals and/or "society" (non-locals) deem "safe".

I'm a Californian. I went to Sequoia National Park a couple years back and was pretty shocked to find out that the fire policy of their local Forest Management service was essentially to let it burn. After a major fire some decades back the local forest service changed policy to clear out overgrown brush frequently to prevent fires (which they did) then were surprised when the local ecosystem started dying out. Apparently the Sequoia seed pods need the heat from the fires to crack open their outer shells to release the seeds inside, while the ashen ground makes for fertile soil for the seeds to germinate/grow. Fires also aid with decomposing dying and weak plantlife to redirect soil resources toward the younger and hardier plants.

Natural fires are more essential to good land management than most would think. While I agree that excessively overgrown foliage/brush near a community should be avoided or carefully watched, I think we should be careful when underestimating an ecosystem's ability to maintain itself.

But to the point of this post - CalFire made a super dirtbag move by not taking action to save lives. What even is the point of funding them if they don't make an effort to do their #1 job?

Not to be rude but Forest/Land Management is difficult. There are a lot of factors to consider when cleaning an ecosystem and essentially shaping it into what locals and/or "society" (non-locals) deem "safe".

I'm a Californian. I went to Sequoia National Park a couple years back and was pretty shocked to find out that the fire policy of their local Forest Management service was essentially to let it burn. After a major fire some decades back the local forest service changed policy to clear out overgrown brush frequently to prevent fires (which they did) then were surprised when the local ecosystem started dying out. Apparently the Sequoia seed pods need the heat from the fires to crack open their outer shells to release the seeds inside, while the ashen ground makes for fertile soil for the seeds to germinate/grow. Fires also aid with decomposing dying and weak plantlife to redirect soil resources toward the younger and hardier plants.

Natural fires are more essential to good land management than most would think. While I agree that excessively overgrown foliage/brush near a community should be avoided or carefully watched, I think we should be careful when underestimating an ecosystem's ability to maintain itself.

But to the point of this post - CalFire made a super dirtbag move by not taking action to save lives. What even is the point of funding them if they don't make an effort to do their #1 job?

Not to be rude but Forest/Land Management is difficult. There are a lot of factors to consider when cleaning an ecosystem and essentially shaping it into what locals and/or "society" (non-locals) deem "safe".

I'm a Californian. I went to Sequoia National Park a couple years back and was pretty shocked to find out that the fire policy of their local Forest Management service was essentially to let it burn. After a major fire a some decades back the local forest service changed policy to clear out overgrown brush frequently to prevent fires (which they did) then were surprised when the local ecosystem started dying out. Apparently the Sequoia seed pods need the heat from the fires to crack open their outer shells to release the seeds inside, while the ashen ground makes for fertile soil for the seeds to germinate/grow. Fires also aid with decomposing dying and weak plantlife to redirect soil resources toward the younger and hardier plants.

Natural fires are more essential to good land management than most would think. While I agree that excessively overgrown foliage/brush near a community should be avoided or carefully watched, I think we should be careful when underestimating an ecosystem's ability to maintain itself.

But to the point of this post - CalFire made a super dirtbag move by not taking action to save lives. What even is the point of funding them if they don't make an effort to do their #1 job?