A tiny pest helped stoke this year’s devastating wildfires

[JLW]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

Yea, it has nothing to do with your Antifa friends:

The fires do have nothing to do with Antifa except for those that live in their basements reading q-anon bedtime stories.

 

[toobfreak]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

Sorry the beetles didn't set the trees on fire otherwise you wouldn't call them bark beetles, you'd call them pyro beetles or Antifa.
If the beetles are a problem in Cali then why didn't they take their multi million dollar home property taxes and spray the base of the trees where their eggs sit and hatch? Oh that's right, they can't even spray the sidewalk poo, what makes us think infestation of beetles is more important then hairdresser appointments.

You ever try to spray 100,000 acres of trees?? For my ASH beetle problem, I've got to do injections or insecticide every 2 years for maybe the next decade.. That's a lot of work for 16 trees.

Bark beetles DONT set trees on fire.. MAN, Lightning, and PGE lines coming down do...

The article ignores one thing: the beetle infestation is still the result of the ROOT PROBLEM: improper (lack of) forest management. Climate Change isn't causing these fires, bad forest management due to excessive, restrictive environmental laws plus a year with La Nina is doing it. Overgrowth (too many trees and too much underbrush) means that there is too much vegetation competing for limited water and nutrients. This leaves the trees sickly/vulnerable to pests like the beetles - and to various diseases.

The undergrowth weakens the trees, invites pests like beetles which then come in and harm the forest farther, kills and makes them easier to burn, then add in the drier than normal year due to La Nina, throw in a few sparks, and you get out of control, raging fires.

If Trump is responsible for a virus, then Gavin Newsom is responsible for 60 deaths, 200 homes, 100,000 acres burned, and incalculable wildlife, lives, and billions in property destroyed.

 

[Coyote]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

Yea, it has nothing to do with your Antifa friends:

Sadly no...debunked conspiracy theory.

LOL...they caught them in the act fer fuks sake!!!

Actually...no...if we are thinking of the same things, they did catch some arsonists, such as the guy repeatedly trying to set the highway median on fire, And another set a fire at a goof, course, and stuff like that, but those were easily put out. Few of these many big fires are associated with arson, none with Antifa.

 

[Coyote]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

Yea, it has nothing to do with your Antifa friends:

Sadly no...debunked conspiracy theory.

Oh, so like Russian Collusion then?

Oh, and show us where the reports of democrat terrorists in Oregon setting fires has been "debunked?" I think you just made that up - Communists have no integrity.

It is a waste of time debunking conspiracy theories with cultists like you, your post above is proof enough.

 

[Likkmee]

Forest fires are good for the economy !

 

[Dick Foster]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

And here I was expecting to hear you say that the tiny pest was the democratic brain.

 

[Coyote]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

Sorry the beetles didn't set the trees on fire otherwise you wouldn't call them bark beetles, you'd call them pyro beetles or Antifa.
If the beetles are a problem in Cali then why didn't they take their multi million dollar home property taxes and spray the base of the trees where their eggs sit and hatch? Oh that's right, they can't even spray the sidewalk poo, what makes us think infestation of beetles is more important then hairdresser appointments.

You ever try to spray 100,000 acres of trees?? For my ASH beetle problem, I've got to do injections or insecticide every 2 years for maybe the next decade.. That's a lot of work for 16 trees.

Bark beetles DONT set trees on fire.. MAN, Lightning, and PGE lines coming down do...

It's insecticide now or fire retardant or water later according to the OP blaming beetles.
Yes that's a lot of work as is putting out fires if that can have volunteers then put the hippies to work and get them to save the forests and volunteer.
Lightening was to blame for the previous fires and maybe one recent but most others during this one were arsons.

I think it is easy to ignore the interrelatedness of the causes of these events. It isn’t just the initial spark, it is all the other factors that go into turning an easily managed fire to a thousands of acres devastation.

When tree killing insects spread, weakening and killing trees, you are lookIng at thousands of acres of dead wood.

But certain insects do strange things to trees...

Key Findings

• Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) trees are chemically altered after mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) attacks. Trees dry out rapidly during the red stage and are more flammable than unaffected trees.
• Beetle attacks increase the emission rates of several highly flammable terpenes.
• The flammability of yellow and red trees is higher than green trees because they have (1) shorter times to ignition, (2) lower temperatures at ignition, and (3) higher heat yields.
• Needles of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) during the yellow stage of a spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) attack contain less moisture and are more flammable than unattacked trees.

Fire managers and firefighters should be aware of the possibility of increased potential for crown fire initiation in beetle-affected stands as well as the prospect for rapid changes in fire behavior as fires move in and out of beetle-affected areas.

Healthy trees can usually withstand fire and limit both it’s spread and intensity. Affected trees, or worse, large amounts of dead forest plus overly dry conditions and winds turn it from manageable to out of control.

I don’t understand why people it’s just one thing leading to a forest fire.

As to the claim most were arson, that is simply untrue. Arson is the deliberate setting of a fire (and every fire is automatically investigated for possible arson), most are human caused, but accidental, not intentional.

What started the fires?
Many fires were started because of human causes, including most of the fires in California. The El Dorado Fire in Southern California’s San Bernardino County was started on September 5 by a pyrotechnic device at a gender-reveal party in El Dorado Ranch Park, just 80 miles outside Los Angeles. In Oregon, officials have opened an arson investigation into the Alameda Fire, which is responsible for multiple deaths and has destroyed hundreds of homes.

However, some of the fires, including the August Complex Fire, were caused by lightning strikes in extremely dry areas. Others in Oregon and California were started by downed power lines. Unusually strong winds in Oregon have helped spread the fires rapidly there while typical winds in California were made even worse by a sudden winter snowstorm in the Rocky Mountains, which sent cold air blasting into the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges.

Multiple far-right and conspiracy websites have been spreading misinformation about the origin of the fires, on Facebook and YouTube especially. They claim, with absolutely no support, that they were set by members of antifa and Black Lives Matter. Websites the Gateway Pundit and the Post Millennial have claimed without evidence that Jeff Acord, a 36-year-old man arrested on charges of starting a fire in Washington, was an “antifa militant.” Many of the rumors have been amplified by self-professed QAnon supporters.

In my state, we are 78% forest. We have not seen forest fires such as have been engulfing the west. We have our share of flammable idiots and meth labs...but no devastating fires.

I am 7 miles from a state forest where I regularly hike my dogs. The paths are maintained And cleared, trail signage put up, and new shelters created largely by the fund raising and volunteer efforts of the “hippies” you disparage, because our state does not provide a lot of funding for park maintenance.

I know about the beetle problem, I had this conversation weeks ago, but these fires were 4 out of 5 arsons by people with bad parents. What are you doing to address absantee parents (who don't know what their kids are doing or who they are associating with) instead of absantee ballots.

Do you have any evidence to show 4 out 5 of these ongoing fires are arson by underage delinquents?

 

[Coyote]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

Sorry the beetles didn't set the trees on fire otherwise you wouldn't call them bark beetles, you'd call them pyro beetles or Antifa.
If the beetles are a problem in Cali then why didn't they take their multi million dollar home property taxes and spray the base of the trees where their eggs sit and hatch? Oh that's right, they can't even spray the sidewalk poo, what makes us think infestation of beetles is more important then hairdresser appointments.

You ever try to spray 100,000 acres of trees?? For my ASH beetle problem, I've got to do injections or insecticide every 2 years for maybe the next decade.. That's a lot of work for 16 trees.

Bark beetles DONT set trees on fire.. MAN, Lightning, and PGE lines coming down do...

BUT bark beetles help create the conditions that turn a manageable fire into an out of control inferno.

So does electing the wrong State officials and
Sending your kids to Marxist schools, and brainwashing your kids with MSM broadcasts.

Talk about deflection...

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

A tiny pest indeed.

View attachment 396279

Someone call an exterminator.

Tards dont understand how to MANAGE forests

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

Sorry the beetles didn't set the trees on fire otherwise you wouldn't call them bark beetles, you'd call them pyro beetles or Antifa.
If the beetles are a problem in Cali then why didn't they take their multi million dollar home property taxes and spray the base of the trees where their eggs sit and hatch? Oh that's right, they can't even spray the sidewalk poo, what makes us think infestation of beetles is more important then hairdresser appointments.

You ever try to spray 100,000 acres of trees?? For my ASH beetle problem, I've got to do injections or insecticide every 2 years for maybe the next decade.. That's a lot of work for 16 trees.

Bark beetles DONT set trees on fire.. MAN, Lightning, and PGE lines coming down do...

It's insecticide now or fire retardant or water later according to the OP blaming beetles.
Yes that's a lot of work as is putting out fires if that can have volunteers then put the hippies to work and get them to save the forests and volunteer.
Lightening was to blame for the previous fires and maybe one recent but most others during this one were arsons.

I think it is easy to ignore the interrelatedness of the causes of these events. It isn’t just the initial spark, it is all the other factors that go into turning an easily managed fire to a thousands of acres devastation.

When tree killing insects spread, weakening and killing trees, you are lookIng at thousands of acres of dead wood.

But certain insects do strange things to trees...

Key Findings

• Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) trees are chemically altered after mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) attacks. Trees dry out rapidly during the red stage and are more flammable than unaffected trees.
• Beetle attacks increase the emission rates of several highly flammable terpenes.
• The flammability of yellow and red trees is higher than green trees because they have (1) shorter times to ignition, (2) lower temperatures at ignition, and (3) higher heat yields.
• Needles of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) during the yellow stage of a spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) attack contain less moisture and are more flammable than unattacked trees.

Fire managers and firefighters should be aware of the possibility of increased potential for crown fire initiation in beetle-affected stands as well as the prospect for rapid changes in fire behavior as fires move in and out of beetle-affected areas.

Healthy trees can usually withstand fire and limit both it’s spread and intensity. Affected trees, or worse, large amounts of dead forest plus overly dry conditions and winds turn it from manageable to out of control.

I don’t understand why people it’s just one thing leading to a forest fire.

As to the claim most were arson, that is simply untrue. Arson is the deliberate setting of a fire (and every fire is automatically investigated for possible arson), most are human caused, but accidental, not intentional.

What started the fires?
Many fires were started because of human causes, including most of the fires in California. The El Dorado Fire in Southern California’s San Bernardino County was started on September 5 by a pyrotechnic device at a gender-reveal party in El Dorado Ranch Park, just 80 miles outside Los Angeles. In Oregon, officials have opened an arson investigation into the Alameda Fire, which is responsible for multiple deaths and has destroyed hundreds of homes.

However, some of the fires, including the August Complex Fire, were caused by lightning strikes in extremely dry areas. Others in Oregon and California were started by downed power lines. Unusually strong winds in Oregon have helped spread the fires rapidly there while typical winds in California were made even worse by a sudden winter snowstorm in the Rocky Mountains, which sent cold air blasting into the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges.

Multiple far-right and conspiracy websites have been spreading misinformation about the origin of the fires, on Facebook and YouTube especially. They claim, with absolutely no support, that they were set by members of antifa and Black Lives Matter. Websites the Gateway Pundit and the Post Millennial have claimed without evidence that Jeff Acord, a 36-year-old man arrested on charges of starting a fire in Washington, was an “antifa militant.” Many of the rumors have been amplified by self-professed QAnon supporters.

In my state, we are 78% forest. We have not seen forest fires such as have been engulfing the west. We have our share of flammable idiots and meth labs...but no devastating fires.

I am 7 miles from a state forest where I regularly hike my dogs. The paths are maintained And cleared, trail signage put up, and new shelters created largely by the fund raising and volunteer efforts of the “hippies” you disparage, because our state does not provide a lot of funding for park maintenance.

I know about the beetle problem, I had this conversation weeks ago, but these fires were 4 out of 5 arsons by people with bad parents. What are you doing to address absantee parents (who don't know what their kids are doing or who they are associating with) instead of absantee ballots.

Do you have any evidence to show 4 out 5 of these ongoing fires are arson by underage delinquents?

What are you saying UNDERAGE delinquents? Most of your delinquents are college age

 

[Coyote]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

Sorry the beetles didn't set the trees on fire otherwise you wouldn't call them bark beetles, you'd call them pyro beetles or Antifa.
If the beetles are a problem in Cali then why didn't they take their multi million dollar home property taxes and spray the base of the trees where their eggs sit and hatch? Oh that's right, they can't even spray the sidewalk poo, what makes us think infestation of beetles is more important then hairdresser appointments.

You ever try to spray 100,000 acres of trees?? For my ASH beetle problem, I've got to do injections or insecticide every 2 years for maybe the next decade.. That's a lot of work for 16 trees.

Bark beetles DONT set trees on fire.. MAN, Lightning, and PGE lines coming down do...

It's insecticide now or fire retardant or water later according to the OP blaming beetles.
Yes that's a lot of work as is putting out fires if that can have volunteers then put the hippies to work and get them to save the forests and volunteer.
Lightening was to blame for the previous fires and maybe one recent but most others during this one were arsons.

I think it is easy to ignore the interrelatedness of the causes of these events. It isn’t just the initial spark, it is all the other factors that go into turning an easily managed fire to a thousands of acres devastation.

When tree killing insects spread, weakening and killing trees, you are lookIng at thousands of acres of dead wood.

But certain insects do strange things to trees...

Key Findings

• Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) trees are chemically altered after mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) attacks. Trees dry out rapidly during the red stage and are more flammable than unaffected trees.
• Beetle attacks increase the emission rates of several highly flammable terpenes.
• The flammability of yellow and red trees is higher than green trees because they have (1) shorter times to ignition, (2) lower temperatures at ignition, and (3) higher heat yields.
• Needles of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) during the yellow stage of a spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) attack contain less moisture and are more flammable than unattacked trees.

Fire managers and firefighters should be aware of the possibility of increased potential for crown fire initiation in beetle-affected stands as well as the prospect for rapid changes in fire behavior as fires move in and out of beetle-affected areas.

Healthy trees can usually withstand fire and limit both it’s spread and intensity. Affected trees, or worse, large amounts of dead forest plus overly dry conditions and winds turn it from manageable to out of control.

I don’t understand why people it’s just one thing leading to a forest fire.

As to the claim most were arson, that is simply untrue. Arson is the deliberate setting of a fire (and every fire is automatically investigated for possible arson), most are human caused, but accidental, not intentional.

What started the fires?
Many fires were started because of human causes, including most of the fires in California. The El Dorado Fire in Southern California’s San Bernardino County was started on September 5 by a pyrotechnic device at a gender-reveal party in El Dorado Ranch Park, just 80 miles outside Los Angeles. In Oregon, officials have opened an arson investigation into the Alameda Fire, which is responsible for multiple deaths and has destroyed hundreds of homes.

However, some of the fires, including the August Complex Fire, were caused by lightning strikes in extremely dry areas. Others in Oregon and California were started by downed power lines. Unusually strong winds in Oregon have helped spread the fires rapidly there while typical winds in California were made even worse by a sudden winter snowstorm in the Rocky Mountains, which sent cold air blasting into the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges.

Multiple far-right and conspiracy websites have been spreading misinformation about the origin of the fires, on Facebook and YouTube especially. They claim, with absolutely no support, that they were set by members of antifa and Black Lives Matter. Websites the Gateway Pundit and the Post Millennial have claimed without evidence that Jeff Acord, a 36-year-old man arrested on charges of starting a fire in Washington, was an “antifa militant.” Many of the rumors have been amplified by self-professed QAnon supporters.

In my state, we are 78% forest. We have not seen forest fires such as have been engulfing the west. We have our share of flammable idiots and meth labs...but no devastating fires.

I am 7 miles from a state forest where I regularly hike my dogs. The paths are maintained And cleared, trail signage put up, and new shelters created largely by the fund raising and volunteer efforts of the “hippies” you disparage, because our state does not provide a lot of funding for park maintenance.

I know about the beetle problem, I had this conversation weeks ago, but these fires were 4 out of 5 arsons by people with bad parents. What are you doing to address absantee parents (who don't know what their kids are doing or who they are associating with) instead of absantee ballots.

Do you have any evidence to show 4 out 5 of these ongoing fires are arson by underage delinquents?

What are you saying UNDERAGE delinquents? Most of your delinquents are college age

Because the poster asked about what the parents were doing. But frankly, I would take evidence showing 4 out of of those fires were arson.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Because the poster asked about what the parents were doing. But frankly, I would take evidence showing 4 out of of those fires were arson.

But if it's only three, you'll reject it.

{

Four have been arrested on suspicion of arson in West Coast areas already under seige from major destructive and deadly blazes, according to reports.

As wildfires continue to rage across three states, police investigated separate incidents near existing wildfires. Two men in Washington state, one man in Oregon and one woman in California are facing charges, according to the Daily Wire.

The latest reports suggest that at least 20 people have died in California, eight in Oregon and one in Washington state as firefighters struggle to contain already deadly fires.

WILDFIRES IN CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON: AT LEAST 15 DEAD, 16 MISSING AS BLAZES CONTINUE IN WEST

Ashland, Ore., Police Chief Tighe O'Meara announced Thursday that a criminal investigation was opened into the cause of the Almeda fire calling the circumstances around the fire 'suspicious'.

The fire sparked in Ashland Tuesday and although it mostly spared the Oregon Shakespeare Festival town, the blaze has killed two people and destroyed hundreds of homes.

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Authorities arrest 4 in connection to possible arson, fires along West Coast

Authorities began criminal investigations on Thursday, making arrests the following day.

www.foxnews.com

California burns every fall. I've lived here my whole life - every single fall. Firebugs are as often as not the root cause of fires. Would you agree that arsonists should face the death penalty?

 

[Leo123]

Roadless ACT.............DNC laws will not even allow the forestry dept to build a road let alone a fire break.

Forcing rotting wood to lay on the ground and not burned off attracts bugs........beetles.....

Overgrown trees not thinned kill trees and bugs...........beetles love to eat dead trees......

Many forestry management people like to cut down trees and leave them in piles while thinning the forests..........so the beetles will come into this delicious pile of dead wood and feed.............to be then burned later in a controlled burn.

Decades worth of mismanagement and idiotic laws and Acts have caused this..........and now the left goes........WOW.........I COULD HAVE HAD A V-8

In CA, the national forests, decades ago, banned logging. Loggers used to thin the forests until environmentalists decided to protect the spotted owl. Sierra Pacific has hundreds of acres of private timber that is well managed and doesn't cause fires.

 

[Leo123]

Because the poster asked about what the parents were doing. But frankly, I would take evidence showing 4 out of of those fires were arson.

Have you seen all the Smokey Bear PA's over the years? Even as a little kid we were all taught it just takes 1 match to start a forest fire. Our national forests are vast with lots of remote areas. Even a small ember can be enough to burn a significant number of of acres before detected and spread to thousands of acres before containment. One arsonist can cause horrendous damage.

 

[Coyote]

Because the poster asked about what the parents were doing. But frankly, I would take evidence showing 4 out of of those fires were arson.

But if it's only three, you'll reject it.

{

Four have been arrested on suspicion of arson in West Coast areas already under seige from major destructive and deadly blazes, according to reports.

As wildfires continue to rage across three states, police investigated separate incidents near existing wildfires. Two men in Washington state, one man in Oregon and one woman in California are facing charges, according to the Daily Wire.

The latest reports suggest that at least 20 people have died in California, eight in Oregon and one in Washington state as firefighters struggle to contain already deadly fires.

WILDFIRES IN CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON: AT LEAST 15 DEAD, 16 MISSING AS BLAZES CONTINUE IN WEST

Ashland, Ore., Police Chief Tighe O'Meara announced Thursday that a criminal investigation was opened into the cause of the Almeda fire calling the circumstances around the fire 'suspicious'.

The fire sparked in Ashland Tuesday and although it mostly spared the Oregon Shakespeare Festival town, the blaze has killed two people and destroyed hundreds of homes.

}

Authorities arrest 4 in connection to possible arson, fires along West Coast

Authorities began criminal investigations on Thursday, making arrests the following day.

www.foxnews.com

California burns every fall. I've lived here my whole life - every single fall. Firebugs are as often as not the root cause of fires. Would you agree that arsonists should face the death penalty?

Ok...so you are posting on four arrestees...but none are as of yet associated with the ongoing fires (and none are Antifa)...even if they are guilty of starting one of them, there are dozens of fires. 4 out of dozens is not 4 out of 5 fires being arson. You have not supported your claim.

 

[Coyote]

Because the poster asked about what the parents were doing. But frankly, I would take evidence showing 4 out of of those fires were arson.

Have you seen all the Smokey Bear PA's over the years? Even as a little kid we were all taught it just takes 1 match to start a forest fire. Our national forests are vast with lots of remote areas. Even a small ember can be enough to burn thousands of acres. One arsonist can cause horrendous damage.

I don’t disagree, but equally, one careless person...

Most forest fires are accidental, not arson...just tossing a cigarette out the window of a car...a campfire...fireworks...

 

[Leo123]

I don’t disagree, but equally, one careless person...

Most forest fires are accidental, not arson...just tossing a cigarette out the window of a car...a campfire...fireworks...

An arsonist will make sure a fire starts and matures enough to cause damage. A careless person does not do that. It only takes 1 person is my point. Also, proving Arson is quite difficult if there is no evidence. It is, IMO, a real stretch to believe that either GW or beetles caused this many fires.

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

Most forest fires are accidental, not arson...just tossing a cigarette out the window of a car...a campfire...fireworks

Will, "but officer, that cigarette I tossed was just an accident" keep you out of jail if they find you?

 

[EvilCat Breath]

...sometimes it is easy to overlook the not so obvious...

How much are beetles to blame for 2020 fires?

It’s not just hot, dry conditions and fire suppression that has exacerbated 2020's western fires. There’s also the attack of the beetles to consider.

www.nationalgeographic.com

The photos and news from the past month’s devastating fires across parts of the West—charred towns, dramatic helicopter rescues, apocalyptic skies—have provoked fear, anger, and an understandable search for blame. It’s clear that fires are getting worse. But why? Scientists point to a number of reasons. Hotter and drier conditions brought on by climate change can prime vegetation to burn, and decades of fire suppression have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests. Millions of people now live closer to those dry forests than ever. And then there is the matter of the beetles.
There are 600 species of bark beetles in the United States, and they’ve evolved with their various host trees over millennia. Many bark beetles infest already dead or dying trees, but some, like the mountain pine beetle, attack living ones. The mountain pine beetle alone has killed roughly 100,000 square miles of trees across western North America over the past 20 years, from New Mexico all the way up to northern British Columbia. Climate change has instigated this dramatic spread, by eliminating the cold spells that kill off the beetles and by leaving the trees stressed by drought, unable to defend themselves.

Sorry the beetles didn't set the trees on fire otherwise you wouldn't call them bark beetles, you'd call them pyro beetles or Antifa.
If the beetles are a problem in Cali then why didn't they take their multi million dollar home property taxes and spray the base of the trees where their eggs sit and hatch? Oh that's right, they can't even spray the sidewalk poo, what makes us think infestation of beetles is more important then hairdresser appointments.

California environmentalists oppose bark beetle eradication. Several lumber companies have offered to remove the dead trees and replant. Environmentalists accused them of clearcutting forests for profit. Spraying is completely opposed. Cleaning away any dead brush is prohibited.

Sadly for California forests resort to self help as fire destroys the dead trees AND kills the beetles
Healthy forests burn occasionally. It's the way forests clean themselves.

 

[Coyote]

I don’t disagree, but equally, one careless person...

Most forest fires are accidental, not arson...just tossing a cigarette out the window of a car...a campfire...fireworks...

An arsonist will make sure a fire starts and matures enough to cause damage. A careless person does not do that. It only takes 1 person is my point. Also, proving Arson is quite difficult if there is no evidence. It is, IMO, a real stretch to believe that either GW or beetles caused this many fires.

True. So by the same token, you can't just assume it is arson.

But I think you miss the point in that last sentence. It's not that they "cause" the fires. It's that they are factors that lead to more intense and difficult to contain fires.

For example did you read how one type of beetle changes tree chemistry and moisture content, leading to increased crown fires?