FightingFireWithFireinCaliforniaSmithsonian

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HowcommunitiesintheWestareboldlysettingpropertyablazetoreducetheimpactofextremewildfires

AfewdaysafterGreefevacuated,theDixieFireengulfednearbyGreenville;intenseflamesreducedthehistoricgoldrushtowntoruins.Greefwouldn’treturnhomeforseveralweeks.

ThePlumasUnderburnCooperativeandotherPrescribedBurnAssociations(PBAs)werefoundedonthebeliefthatbysharingequipmentandlabor—andwithpropertrainingandexperience—neighborscanmanagefirestogethersafelyandeffectively.FirstformedintheGreatPlainsinthemid-1990s,thiscollaborativemodelhassincespreadacrosstheUnitedStates.InCalifornia,thefirstPBAwasestablishedin2018;now,thestatehas22.“Communitiesaredesperateforsolutions,”saysLenyaQuinn-Davidson,afireexpertwiththeUniversityofCaliforniaCooperativeExtension.“Manyofthelandownersandpeopleinvolvedwanttorestorefiretothesystem.They’reinspirednow,becausethey’reseeingithappeninotherplaces.”

FirehasalwaysplayedanimportantroleinNorthAmericanecosystems.BeforethearrivalofEuropeansettlers,fireswerefrequentandoftenintentionallyignitedbyIndigenouspeopletoreducetheriskofcatastrophicwildfiresandtonurturetheland.IntheeasternUnitedStates,thesefiresimprovedoakandchestnuttreegrowth.IntheGreatPlains,firessetbyNativeAmericanscreptacrosstheprairieandmaintainedhealthygrasslandsthatbenefitedground-nestingbirdsandgrazinganimals.AndintheMountainWest,fireclearedoutdeadtreesandcreatedpatchworksofvegetationwithintheforesttoactasnaturalfirebreaks.

Butintheearly1900s,U.S.strategyshiftedtofiresuppression.Federalandstatelandmanagementagenciesprohibited“lightburning,”anearlytermforprescribedfire.Fromthe1930stothelate1970s,federalfirepolicywasguidedbythe“10a.m.rule,”whichstipulatedthatfiresshouldbesuppressedby10a.m.thenextday.Withlesscontrolledfireandachangingclimate,communitieshavebecomeincreasinglyvulnerabletohigh-intensitymegafires.In2021,thefederalgovernmentspent$4.4billiononfiresuppression,nearlydoublethe$2.3billionspentjustayearearlier.

Butnowthewindsareshiftingonfirestrategyonceagain,withstateandfederalagenciesplanningmoreprescribedburns.Atrainedprofessional,oftencalledthe“burnboss,”plansandcoordinatesacontrolledfire.Weatherconditionsmustbejustright.Theselow-andmoderate-severityfirescanimprovethehabitatforwildlife,pollinatorsandgrazinganimals;restoreforestvitality;protectgrasslandsfromencroachingtrees;controlnoxiousweeds;andreducethebuildupofhazardousfuelthatcancontributetouncontrolledwildfires.

It’slateOctoberintheruggedpineforestsofPlumasCounty,andthemorningiscoolanddamp.MiststillhangsinthecrownofthetreesashalfadozenmembersofthePlumasUnderburnCooperative,aCaliforniaPBA,gathertoconducta“pileburn,”atypeofprescribedburn.Scatteredacrossthesteeplyslopedhillside,pilesoflogsarethoughtfullystacked.Inpreparationfortoday’sevent,homeownerSaylorFlettthinnedoutsmalltreesandtrimmedthelowertreelimbsthatwouldbeconsidered“ladderfuels.”Flettalsocollectedstray,downedbranchesandlogsonhisforestedpropertyandgatheredthemintopiles.

ThisarticleisaselectionfromtheApril/May2023issueofSmithsonianmagazine

Onebyone,thepilesarelitwithadriptorch,andthevolunteers,dressedinfire-resistantyellowNomexclothingornatural-fiberlong-sleevedshirtsandpants,tendthecracklingflames.Inthebackground,easygoingguitarmusicfromaportablespeakerreverberatesthroughthetrees.CooperativememberGregKinnemethodicallyrakesupneedles,twigsandpinecones,whichheaddstoasparkingpile;todayishis70thbirthday.“Itseemstomethatthesmallerneighborhoodactionsarebyfarthebest,”Kinnesays.“Allthepeoplearoundbuyrightin,becauseyou’vegotcommonproperty,commonproblems.Ireallyliketheneighborhoodapproach.”

Byearlyafternoon,mostoftheburnpileshavebeenreducedtosmolderingashes.Flettsetsupafoldingtableinthewoodsandbringsouthotpizzaandcolddrinks.It’satraditionforthelandownertoprovideamealtothanktheburncooperativemembersfortheireffortandtime.Later,theymayconductanunderburn—anothertypeofprescribedburnthatcreepsacrossaforestfloortoremoveexcessvegetationwithoutharmingmaturetrees.

Morethana200-miledriveaway,intherollingoaksavannaandruggedchaparralrangelandofcoastalCalifornia—adistinctlydifferentlandscapefromtheSierraNevada—prescribedburningcanalsobeanimportanttool.Afewdaysafteraheavyfallrainstorm,IjoinMendocinoCountyrancherandvolunteerfirefighterKyleFarmeratMagruderRanchalongwithhiswife,Grace,andtheirchildren,June,7,andWalter,5.Followingtheleadofhisfather-in-law,wholongembracedprescribedfire,Farmerusesthepracticetohelpsustainthefamily’sgrass-fedcattleandlamboperation,nowinitssixthgeneration.

Webuckleintoanall-terrainvehicle,andFarmerdrivesusthroughtheoaksavannabeforeclimbingpastmadroneforestswithred,paperybark.Aswereachthetopofaridgeline,Farmer,whoisalsoafoundingmemberoftheMendocinoCountyPBA,stopsattheedgeofthehillside;blacklinesfrompreviousprescribedburnsareetchedintotheslopebelow.“We’veintroducedamosaicintoallthebrushonourland,whichisgoingtochangehowitburns,”heexplains.Strategicallyapplyingpatchesofprescribedfirecreatesacheckerboardpatternthatencouragesplantandanimalvariety.Wildlife,suchasblack-taileddeerandtuleelk,alsobenefitfromimprovedgrazingafterfireremovesoldunderbrush,allowingnewsprigsofvegetationtofreelyemerge.

In2017,MagruderRanchlost45pregnantcowsduringtheRedwoodComplexFire,whenflamesfannedbydownhillwindsovertookthefleeingherd.Farmernowtakestopographyandfencingmaterialsintoaccounttomaximizethelivestock’spotentialescaperoutesintheeventofawildfire.And,eagertoavoidfuture“dozerlines”fromheavymachineryscrapingawaytopsoiltocreatefirecontainmentlines,hepre-emptivelyusesprescribedfiretoclearthelandofthickunderbrushandotherfuels.“Ifawildfiredoescomethrough,mykidsaregoingtohaveabeautifulplacewitholdoaktrees,”Farmersays.“Theywillgetthechancetotakecareofthelandinsteadofbeinghandedaproblem.”

Historically,mosthomesinMendocino’sPotterValley,includingMagruderRanch,werebuiltonthevalleyfloororinthelowerfoothills.Butnow,recentlyconstructedhousesdottheridgelinesamidthechaparral.Thesehomesarepartofalargertrendtowardaprogressivelyfragmentedlandscapethatmakesithardertobothperformcontrolledburnsandsavevulnerablestructuresintheeventofawildfire.

Federalandstatefireagenciesalonecan’tmeetthegrowingneedforprescribedfire.Localburnassociations,NativeAmericantribes,firesafecouncilsandprogramslikeFirewiseUSA—aguideforresidentsonhowtoreducewildfirerisksintheirownneighborhoods—canhelpbridgethegap.InCalifornia,between10millionand30millionacrescouldbenefitfromrestorationthinningorprescribedfire.By2025,thestatewidegoalistotreatonemillionacresayear,includingaprescribedfiregoaltoburn400,000acresannually.“Theideathatwecanempowerlandownersandcommunitiesishuge,andtheresultsarereal,”saysQuinn-Davidson.“Thesegrassrootseffortsmakeahugedifference.Peopleknowtheirlandscapes,theyknowtheirproperties,andyoucangooutandstartworkingonittoday.”

Intotal,theDixieFireburnedfor103daysandgrewtoover960,000acrestobecomethesecond-largestwildfireinCaliforniahistory.Thefiredestroyedmorethan1,300structures,butGreef’shousewasn’toneofthem.Whenhereturned,hiscabinwassurroundedbyablackened,charredforest,buthishomeandoutbuildingsremainedintactonasmallislandofearthsurroundedbygreentrees.Tuckedinthefrontdoor,hefoundabusinesscardsignedbyafireunitchief.Onthebackofthecard,writteninallcaps,amessage:“ALLOFYOURHARDWORKPAIDOFF.”

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AndriaHautamakiisaChile-basedwriterandphotographerwhofocusesontheintersectionoftheenvironment,agricultureandrurallife.

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2024年12月大学英语四级阅读练习题(二)四级

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FightingFireWithFireinCaliforniaSmithsonian

雅思考满分阅读C10T4P1真题解析剑雅10Test4Passage1答案解析

1....otherthan试题答案This explosion is caused by the low air pressure at the center of a tornado.The pressure at the center of a tornado is usually 13 pounds per...B. The house may burst apart.C. There may not be any pressure inside the building.__5__(完形填空).A.B.C 答案是: .A 出自国家开放大学 ...https://www.hnkaoshiwang.com/tiku/jxxw1239102.html
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4.CaliforniaStateScientistsCAPSUAWShock, excitement as second wolverine in 101 years seen in California A CAPS member who is an environmental scientist for the State of California, says a recent read more Science NewsScientists in the News Working in the Fields and Streams to Protect the Environment While Answering the Transportat...http://www.calscientists.org/
5.7+雅思阅读答案3第三本T4P1 California‘s Age of Megafires 1 spread 2 rain 3 fire seasons 4 climate change 5 10 times 6 (primary) fuel 7 C 8 B 9 D 10 TRUE 11 NOT GIVEN 12 TRUE 13 FALSE 第三本T4P2 Memory and Age 14 E 15 B 16 A 17 C ...https://m.360docs.net/doc/526d2678b04e852458fb770bf78a6529657d353a.html
1.剑桥雅思10Test4Passage1阅读答案解析ThemegafiresofCalifornia答案解析:根据hotter,faster定位到第1段的这一句。从题干中可以看出空上应该填一个与它们并列的单词,由此锁定spread。 第2题答案:10/ten times 对应原文:第2段:Megafires, also called ‘siege fires’, are the increasingly frequent blazes that burn 500,000 acres or more – 10 times the size of the ...https://www.eol.cn/waiyu/news/20230523141564.html
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