Development under fire in California blazes
By Al Matthews
CNN Headline News
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A deer runs past flames from the Old Fire in Devore, California, on October 28.
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(CNN) -- As the California wildfires of two weeks ago smolder in popular consciousness, let's seize an opportunity to scrutinize the arguments about fire disaster put forth by historian Mike Davis.
Davis, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, believes development in Southern California is undercutting effective fire policy. Here are his key arguments, from "Let Malibu Burn: a Political History of the Fire Coast" (1996):
1. California burns regularly, often in October.
2. Wildfires require accumulated fuel (underbrush in particular, dry timber, houses, etc.).
3. Wildfires are essentially inevitable. Source, or "ignition," matters little.
4. Wildfire is best managed by controlled burning. Depleting accumulated fuel helps prevent catastrophe.
5. Controlled burning is not effectively practiced. California preaches what Davis calls "total fire suppression."
Let's compare these points to some facts.
How fires spread
Fire is a key, natural process in Southern California ecosystems, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
"That's how California is built," said Karen Terrill of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
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Terrill notes some examples: Burning helps plant reproduction. It opens the conifers. It puts nitrates back in the soil. Drought-resistant vegetation means fire-prone vegetation. Burning completes the natural cycle.
Southern California boasts the Santa Ana winds that blow through Malibu's coastal canyons in fall before the first rains of winter. A spark will spread uncontrollably in the thick, usually dry vegetation.
The result, according to a forest service study cited by Davis in "Let Malibu Burn":
"Malibu fires combine most known elements of violent, erratic and extreme fire behavior: fire whirls, extreme rates of spread, sudden changes in speed and direction of fire spread, flash-overs of unburned gases complicated by intense heat and impenetrable smoke held close to the ground."
How they start
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports most fires are started by humans (90 percent to 95 percent). Arson accounts for 10 percent to 15 percent of them, the department said. The remainder start accidentally -- caused by a cigarette, a spark from a weed eater, etc.
How they're managed
The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection conducts controlled burns on 20,000 to 40,000 acres every year. By comparison, the recent wildfires burned about 740,000 acres. The department said controlled burns is an effective tool because it mimics the natural cycle.
But more often than not, a burn is postponed, out of an excess of caution. There are drawbacks such as citizen safety and airborne irritants. Homeowners object. And there are alternatives such as mechanical removal, which is as laborious and expensive as it sounds. There's also the planting of natural green breaks, which are effective.
Does the forestry department agree with Davis that human development is to blame for catastrophic wildfires?
"Blame" is not a word agency officials rush to use. And the department doesn't like the phrase "total fire suppression." It describes itself as an "aggressive initial attack" agency. When fire happens, the agency puts it out.
"Stupid development," Davis says, comprises a tremendous personal risk to firefighters, engages dramatic firefighting efforts at great expense and refuses to pay a fair share for those services. Does development really endanger firefighters?
Check back in seven weeks for the second part of this column.
