Having lived in California regions prone to wildfires, for a decade, I have an opinion on what causes the wildfires to grow rapidly. It is true that most wildfires start when dry bush is ignited, but how does a fire grow so big as to devour standing trees. The answer lies in the observation about other readily combustible material, besides dry bush, present in the environment. And that combustible material is deadwood. It is the fallen branches of the trees; it is the old trees that die and are uprooted by wind. The deadwood is the main ingredient that makes a small bush fire a ferocious wildfire. Once we understand this phenomenon, we know the solution. Remove the dead wood. How? Let people collect deadwood from wilderness. Let them use the deadwood in their wood burners. By eliminating dry bushes butting roadways, and by removing deadwood in the general vicinity of human presence, we can cut down on a great number of California wildfires. Is the State Fire Marshal (Daniel Berlant?) at Cal Fire listening?
