California+Will+Set+More+Fires+to+Try+to+Stop+Wildfires

California Will Set More Fires to Try to Stop Wildfires Fox News, December 14, 2017 Link to Article: [|http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/12/14/california-will-set-more-fires-to-try-to-stop-wildfires.html]

The article about the recent California wildfires explains the firefighters plan of action towards fighting these fires back with more fire. Within recent months, California has been covered in wildfires that have destroyed many homes and lives leaving many dead or wounded. As a way to disrupt and hopefully end these large wildfires, firefighters have decided to use controlled surface fires to burn away any dry 'fuel' found on the forest floor that could help a wildfire spread. Although the main worry is cost and efficiency, it has been decided that the cost of fighting wildfires that burn out of control is far more expensive than setting "controlled burns" in areas that possibly present large areas of fuel for these out of hand wildfires. The goal for 2018 is to burn at least 31 square miles but that doesn't compare much to the 1560 square miles of land that have been burned by wildfires. Officials believe that setting controlled burns will payoff in the long run and that their biggest concern now is making sure that all firefighters are setting these controlled burns in safe conditions with very little space for error.
 * Summary**:

Throughout AP Environmental Science, we have thoroughly discussed the effects of forests fires on forests and ecosystems in general. In California, crown fires, fires that start on the ground but eventually burn whole trees, are devouring forests and causes lots of issues. Ground fires, fires that go underground and burn leaves and roots, could also be having an effect on California. As a way to try and prevent more of these wildfires from occurring, firefighters have decided to set "controlled burns", also known as prescribed burning; setting controlled group fires to prevent buildup of flammable material (Miller 664). By doing this, all possible fuel found on the forest floor will be removed and the wildfires will having nothing to grasp on to hopefully leaving the fire to die off.
 * Relation to Class**:

In my opinion, I think the idea of prescribed burning sounds great. As said throughout the textbook and throughout my study of AP Environmental Science, I have learned that the best way to stop something is through prevention; once something has already begun, it's hard to go back. By setting "controlled burns", the fires will have much less momentum to grow and, I believe, the loss of fuel will help in stopping the crazy wildfires in California. Also, as I have learned, all habitats are valuable and if these wildfires continue to burn down many forests, animals will be left without a home ad many will suffer from their loss of habitat. This is why I am in favor of prescribed burning; for the animals and the safety of the people.
 * Opinion**:

This article is directly related to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 which states that a comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impact of an activity is required before it is undertaken by a federal agency. Although this doesn't directly relate with fire, it does relate to the prescribed burning talked so much about in the chapters we have recently studied. The production of fire on a forest floor could cause a long lasting effect on the ecosystem if done incorrectly, so in order to ensure proper care of our ecosystems, one must ask if prescribed burning is okay in California to prevent the spread of even more wildfires.
 * Environmental Law**:



Citation: Weber, Christopher. "California Will Set More Fires to Try to Stop Wildfires." //Fox News//, FOX News Network, 14 Dec. 2017, []