Forest Fires In California

Words: 741
Pages: 3
Open Document
In the state of California, there is over twenty million acres of national forests. Speaking upon that, over one million acres of forest was destroyed due to forest fires in 2017 alone. Forest fires are a started by one of two ways, natural and human-caused. Natural fires are usually caused by lightning, very small amounts by combustion of dry fuel and leaves, and sometimes drought. As for human-caused fires, there are a plethora of ways such as camping, gasoline, etc. Ways firefighters stop the fires are fire retardants and fire breaks. In addition, helicopters release water in attempts to die down the fires. On December 4, 2017 the Thomas fire was ignited North of Saint Paula, and although the cause is still under investigation, the damage …show more content…
Over 220,000 acres were ruined, forcing over 100,000 citizens to evacuate and left 1,000 buildings perished. The overall cost of the fire was $297 million, $177 million of that used to fight the disastrous fire. This fire left many lives changed and the forest will need years to recover. Although this fire could’ve possibly been natural, if it was human-caused that is a large problem that needs to be faced up front to avoid future fires. Over 29% of wildfires are caused by arson every year. Whereas, arson is the intentional setting of a fire. That is not excluding the fact that 90% of fires are human-caused overall. To avoid future cases of arson, California should set laws in place to avoid known arsonists even having access to national forests. To enforce that law, …show more content…
Animals and other organisms are affected just as much maybe even more than humans when a wildfire breaks. Not only are they losing their home, but the environment in which they live in is ruined. Moreover, if wildfires start during a dry season, such as a drought, it can burn and destroy all vegetation. For larger animals, they have a better chance to get away from a fire in comparison to smaller ones. Once a wildfire is put out, “Wildfire populations can suffer substantial losses due to habitat alteration and destruction. Since their habitat has been destroyed, wildlife becomes displaced and must spend more time searching for food, water and shelter.” (thewildlifemuseum). Solutions to this could be making sure that animals are evacuated and protected when a wildfire has been reported. In addition, keeping these habitats protected year around could not only protect animals from these fires, but also lead to a decrease in poaching. When animals make it out the fire, the usually have a hard time adapting to another environment. Most of the time, there is competition for water, shelter, and food. Animal sanctuaries could take those displaced animals and prepare them for life in the wild again. Not only do animals lose their home after a fire, but humans do also. An estimated 100,000 citizens had to evacuate after the Thomas Fire, additionally leaving one thousand buildings and homes perished. As for animals will eventually
Show More

Related Documents: Forest Fires In California

Tuna Essay

lay average of 18 eggs 2.5- 8 months to hatch, hatch weighing a average of 80g Common ecosystems In rocky valleys , tropical monsoon forest & savanahs Reason for endangerment Natural disasters , volcanoes & forest fires ect.. Animal name California condor picture  Website reference for picture http://theraptorcenternews.blogspot.com/2012/09/california-condor-release-and-trcs.html Physical traits Weigh up to 22 lbs & wing spand of 9.5ft. Color black with white under wing patches Animal…

Words 591 - Pages 3

Recovery Pl Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes Formicivorus)

Klamath bioregion is encompassed in the State of Jefferson and is home to 4 national forests; the Siskiyou, six rivers, Klamath and Shasta-Trinity. Also in this region is the redwood national park, a network of state parks and wilderness areas, Jackson state forest, as well as forests on private land. This region receives much of its attention on redwood forests; however some areas contain extensive tanoak forests (Altman 2012). Melanerpes formicivorus or the Acorn Woodpecker can be found mainly…

Words 2534 - Pages 11

Natural Disasters Essay

wind, and lots of lightening. Wildfires are common in Northern Michigan, but they usually only occur in forests. They are very destructive and there is one major way to stop them. The best way to stop a wildfire is to make sure that you keep long dead grass and bushes gone, so the fire will not spread. They are usually very small in Michigan, but some of the major wildfires are located in California. Earthquakes are occurring everywhere. Most earthquakes are so small that you can't feel them. In case…

Words 1106 - Pages 5

Community Description And Data Interpretation

original counties in California. It covers a large area, approximately 4,752 square miles and consists of various terrains: ocean, mountain, valley, forest, island, river, and desert. The Los Angeles River, San Gabriel River, Santa Clara River, and Rio Hondo run throughout the county of Los Angeles. To the northeast is the Antelope Valley, marking the beginning of the Mojave Desert. The San Gabriel Mountains divide the county from west-to-east and contains the Angeles National Forest. Los Angeles County…

Words 504 - Pages 3

California Gold Rush Research Paper

The California Gold Rush is one of the most important events in California history. From the discovery of gold by John Sutter and James Marshall to the shaping of California, it has played an enormous role in creating history. It led a great influx of immigrants around the world and served as a hope to gain financial power, and many people did get a fortune from the Gold Rush. Moreover, because of the Gold Rush, California became well-known and populated which are the foundations of a good states…

Words 1809 - Pages 8

Green Roof Essay

The new California Academy of Sciences building features a contoured, vegetated roof bordered by a cantilevered steel canopy of glazed panels that include more than 55,000 photovoltaic cells. The cells are designed to generate approximately 5 percent of the building’s electricity needs. Under One Green Roof emy of Sciences’ new home, which is being referred to as the greenest museum in the world because of its undulating, 2.5 acre (1 ha) vegetated roof and a variety of other environmentally…

Words 5693 - Pages 23

Open Fields Case Study

Does the term "open fields" include any place that is public or private outside the curtilage, including forests, lakes, woods, city streets, and stadiums? The term “open fields” does include any place that is public or private depends on the court interpretation of curtilage. The open fields are considered to be all the space not within the house or its curtilage. So if the forests, lakes, wood, and stadiums were immediately surrounding the house and enclosed by a fence they couldn’t be searched…

Words 568 - Pages 3

Essay on Helitack Report

wildland firefighting, the word Helitack indicates the performance of aerial firefighting as a resource that aids fire suppression. Helitack crews are those that employ the use helicopters to fight fire, and primarily perform initial attack. The usefulness of a helitack crew is to go into remote areas that are inaccessible or difficult for ground crews to respond fast enough too, and fight fire. Having knowledge of the history of aerial firefighting is imperative for the safety of firefighters, contractors…

Words 3615 - Pages 15

Long Beach Fire Case Study

wrote about the founding of the first volunteer fire brigade on March 18, 1897 (though Glen Goodrich in his 2005 book the Long Beach Fire Department writes it was March 16, 1897). There were earlier claims that 1902 marked the date of the first fire department, but two long-time citizens presented Case with evidence proving the 1897 assertion. Major Brewster Kenyon told Case that the organization had 28 charter members and that he was captain, John McPherson first lieutenant, and William Craig second…

Words 1556 - Pages 7

Call Of The Wild Essay

instincts which at stated periods drives men out from the sounding cities to forest and plain to kill things by chemically propelled leaden pellets, the blood lust, the joy to kill- all this was Buck’s, only it was infinitely more intimate.” (London, 39). The Call of the Wild is an adventurous novel written by Jack London. The story is about a young dog named Buck, who gets taken from his pleasant home in Santa Clara Valley, California, and is forced to survive in the harsh Alaskan climates. In this attention-grabbing…

Words 544 - Pages 3