![]() Meanwhile, from 2009 to 2018, just over $500 million were spent per year on treatments to reduce wildfire fuel like prescribed burns. government spent a record $4.3 billion on fire suppression - something that has actually worsened wildfire conditions. MATTHEW HURTEAU: A lot of the planning tools that fire managers rely upon for planning prescribed burns were built under a climate that no longer exists.ĬHANG: Last year, the U.S. Matthew Hurteau, a biologist at the University of New Mexico, says that is a systemic problem. And we definitely missed opportunities.ĬHANG: The Forest Service also released an internal review of the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire, and essentially, it said, that they failed to take climate change into account when conducting an intentional burn during a historic drought. Fewer than 1% escape.įire advisor Barbara Satink Wolfson was one of dozens to sign a letter to Chief Moore urging him not to make the prescribed burn pause nationwide.īARBARA SATINK WOLFSON: There's basically a small window in which they can conduct the prescribed burn. Prescribed fires that jump the burn zone, like what happened with the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire, are incredibly rare. And that concerned many forest ecologists because prescribed burns are seen by experts as a crucial tool for reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires in areas that aren't too dry to burn. Forest Service, Randy Moore, put a 90-day ban on prescribed burns. NARANJO: I actually wanted to send and - get a bucket of ashes from our house and send it to the Forest Service because they are accountable.ĬHANG: Shortly after that fire, the head of the U.S. The blaze took almost five months to contain and burned nearly 350,000 acres, destroying hundreds of homes, including a centuries-old house that Bernice Naranjo and her husband Tito had been renovating since 1971.īERNICE NARANJO: From nothing building, that one little tiny room that was not even a room became a beautiful home.ĬHANG: Naranjo is one of many residents who say a planned burn during a windy, dry spring was just a bad idea. It merged with the nearby Calf Canyon Fire, which was started by a dormant burn pile from a previous prescribed burn. ![]() These kinds of burns are used to clear out brush and leaves from at-risk areas so that they don't build up and become instant fuel for extreme fires. Forest Service near Hermit's Peak on April 6. We couldn't even get aircraft to drop retardant in front of it.ĬHANG: The fire began from a prescribed burn by the U.S. There's no way to get people in front of it to do anything with it. TODD ABEL: That fire had a lot of energy, and it throws spots out in front of it and moves extremely fast. Todd Abel is a federal operations chief for Southwestern fires. It's yet another obstacle on the path to recovery for communities impacted by what became the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. The heavy rains then washed charred debris into the river and reservoir. The town has battled a water crisis after the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire burned a large portion of their watershed. LOUIE TRUJILLO: Everything from pine needles to logs and boulders and trees coming down from the burn scars into the river, so the river has been rendered unusable.ĬHANG: That is Louie Trujillo, the mayor of Las Vegas, N.M. But for communities in northern New Mexico, the rains have brought disaster after an already harrowing year. ![]() They usually bring welcome relief to the dry landscapes, especially after the intensifying wildfires and droughts of recent years. Email us at CHANG, HOST:Īt the end of summer, heavy monsoons roll across New Mexico. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. KCRW's Caleigh Wells looked into all of the obstacles that stand in the way of prescribed burns and fire preparation in California's Big Bear Valley, which could be the next disaster. Forest Service failed to execute its own mitigation plan in time, despite recognizing the danger decades ago. CapRadio's Scott Rodd reports on how the U.S. An investigation by CapRadio and the California Newsroom found that proper fire mitigation could have protected the Northern California town of Grizzly Flats from the Caldor Fire last year. Forest ecologists are worried the ban added to the wildfire risk in areas that desperately need maintenance. But while these kinds of burns do carry risk, very few escape, and they are a crucial tool in reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Forest Service put a ninety day ban on controlled burns. Climate Change Has Made Fire Mitigation Even More Crucial for At-Risk Forests : Consider This from NPR After a prescribed burn became the largest wildfire in New Mexico history earlier this year, the U.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |