Firestorm Leaves Mass Destruction in California
By: Bobby Magill and Climate Central Website: Scientificamerican.com |
Summary:
Magill reports that a forest fire in Lake County, California claims a life, and left 400 families homeless by September 13, 2015. The forest fire spread quickly, covering 50,000 acres of forest in less than 12 hours. It is suggested that these forest fires has a direct correlation with the drought California has been battling with. Furthermore, the drought is evidently due to the climate change; this weather have destroyed the lush vegetation California had in the past. These fires can spread rapidly, burning everything in its' way. Two of the most devastating wildfires-- Valley Fire and Butte Fire-- in California have burned about 160,000 acres of land. Magill states, "In California alone last year, 5,600 wildfires burned more than 600,000 acres as the drought wore on.", it is estimated that the government will spend 1.6 billion dollars in order to contain the wildfires that will occur in 2015.
The cause of the wildfire was not specified, however it is clear that California is suffering from a drought, hence these fires are not helping it. It is astonishing that 50,000 acres of forest can be wiped out in less than a day; the trees that were burned will be detrimental to the environment. Humans cut down enough trees to cause massive shifts in the land, burning forests is not a problem that the environment can keep having. Due to climate change and other factors, California, once flourishing with fertile soil, is now a giant barren dust land. The over-use of land due to agriculture has dried up the soil of nutrients it needs to produce crops. Earth is usually able to keep up with all the destruction of land through succession, however it often takes long periods of time. Because the soil is still intact, the process in which the land should heal itself is through secondary succession. However, it is a question of the ability of the land to heal despite the climate change and pollution.
Trees are an essential need for humans; it used for houses, food, diapers, furniture, and even as simple as respiration. Humans literally cannot survive without them; yet the species are so set on cutting every last one down in order to feed their egos. It is important to know that deforestation can lead to droughts, and it is very possible that logging is one of the reasons that the drought and the wildfires are occurring. The whole thing is a positive feedback loop; as people cut trees, less water is retained by the land which causes erosion and also the lack of nutrients in the soil. Without nutrients in the soil, plants and trees cannot grow, therefore the more trees that are cut down, the higher the intensity of the drought becomes, and ultimately creates more forest fires which destroy more trees. The U.S. have destroyed more than 80% of its' original forest; forest fires must be contained quickly and with as little destruction as possible. Humans alone have destroyed 4/5 of the forest in the U.S.-- a problem that will soon be too grave to ignore-- the addition of forest fires will only make things worse, and yet there is nothing being done to correct the issues that are threatening the very existence of the people on Earth.
Magill reports that a forest fire in Lake County, California claims a life, and left 400 families homeless by September 13, 2015. The forest fire spread quickly, covering 50,000 acres of forest in less than 12 hours. It is suggested that these forest fires has a direct correlation with the drought California has been battling with. Furthermore, the drought is evidently due to the climate change; this weather have destroyed the lush vegetation California had in the past. These fires can spread rapidly, burning everything in its' way. Two of the most devastating wildfires-- Valley Fire and Butte Fire-- in California have burned about 160,000 acres of land. Magill states, "In California alone last year, 5,600 wildfires burned more than 600,000 acres as the drought wore on.", it is estimated that the government will spend 1.6 billion dollars in order to contain the wildfires that will occur in 2015.
The cause of the wildfire was not specified, however it is clear that California is suffering from a drought, hence these fires are not helping it. It is astonishing that 50,000 acres of forest can be wiped out in less than a day; the trees that were burned will be detrimental to the environment. Humans cut down enough trees to cause massive shifts in the land, burning forests is not a problem that the environment can keep having. Due to climate change and other factors, California, once flourishing with fertile soil, is now a giant barren dust land. The over-use of land due to agriculture has dried up the soil of nutrients it needs to produce crops. Earth is usually able to keep up with all the destruction of land through succession, however it often takes long periods of time. Because the soil is still intact, the process in which the land should heal itself is through secondary succession. However, it is a question of the ability of the land to heal despite the climate change and pollution.
Trees are an essential need for humans; it used for houses, food, diapers, furniture, and even as simple as respiration. Humans literally cannot survive without them; yet the species are so set on cutting every last one down in order to feed their egos. It is important to know that deforestation can lead to droughts, and it is very possible that logging is one of the reasons that the drought and the wildfires are occurring. The whole thing is a positive feedback loop; as people cut trees, less water is retained by the land which causes erosion and also the lack of nutrients in the soil. Without nutrients in the soil, plants and trees cannot grow, therefore the more trees that are cut down, the higher the intensity of the drought becomes, and ultimately creates more forest fires which destroy more trees. The U.S. have destroyed more than 80% of its' original forest; forest fires must be contained quickly and with as little destruction as possible. Humans alone have destroyed 4/5 of the forest in the U.S.-- a problem that will soon be too grave to ignore-- the addition of forest fires will only make things worse, and yet there is nothing being done to correct the issues that are threatening the very existence of the people on Earth.