Having had family who lived in Southern California, and having lived in Washington State ourselves, it’s terrible to watch the fires–the infernos–up and down the western states. The loss of life is staggering. Volunteers with bulldozers and Forest Fire Services from as far away as New Jersey, even Israel, are arriving to help battle the blazes. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has expressed the gratitude of the state to everyone who has come to help. At the same time, he has said that climate change is the problem. Period. Full Stop. I respectfully disagree. Yes, climate change is a part of the problem, but there are other serious factors involved, especially inadequate forest management and the crumbling electric infrastructure.

Forest management goes back to the General Land Office which started in 1812. Along with the US Grazing Service, it was reorganized into the Bureau of Land Management in the Department of the Interior in 1946. States also have their own versions of land management. The US had terrible fires during the 19th century, very similar to those we’re battling today. But starting in the lat 19th and early 20th centuries, most state universities started teaching agriculture/forestry. They began to clear out areas of underbrush that could quickly go up in flames. They thinned specific trees, and used controlled burns that ultimately maintain the health of the ecosystem. And during World War II, we saw programs in Idaho and Montana teaching the first smokejumpers (parachuters) programs which are still used today. By the end of the 20th century, there were many fewer, and smaller, fires in large areas of the west.

But by the early 21st century, fires have grown back to the level they were during the 19th century–only we now have millions more people trying to live and work in that same land. So what’s the issue? Well, part of the problem has to do with climate change, though not for the reasons you may think. Many private and public groups have demanded that all land be left in as natural a state as possible. That sounds reasonable. But when you drill down a bit you find serious problems. To have healthy forests you need to do many of the same things that have been done before we knew anything about climate change. Get rid of the underbrush. Build fire breaks. Cut specific trees. Provide for proper road access, and yes, do carefully controlled burns. (As they say in Church, be good stewards of the earth.) That will keep healthy forests, keep fires to a minimum, and still allow people to live with nature. Don’t do that and you’re made massive fires, deaths, property loss, and deadly mudslides.

The other major problem is electricity. We need electricity so much more than we did even thirty years ago. We used to need it for lights, appliances like refrigerators, and heat. Even telephones used to run on copper wires so you could use the phone even if the lights went out. (I do miss that!!) Now add many more appliances like microwaves and air conditioners, to say nothing of the internet, and smartphones, and when the power goes out, we’re dead in the water.

Yet, the electrical grid hasn’t kept pace with current demand. Last year the American Society of Civil Engineers gave California a D- 😳 in the Infrastructure Energy Sector. In many cases it’s been 60 years or more since there has been a serious upgrade. There are problems with the cables and low-voltage, sub-stations, transformers and on and on. In desperations, they are turning off the electricity (the fancy term is “de-energizing”) to millions of people to try to avoid arcing or sparks which can start fires. That’s a draconian measure and a very short-term solution. Wind and solar can help, though they bring their own issues–how many miles of solar panels would be needed to provide electricity to even a fraction of the state?? What happens where the wind is calm–how many batteries would be needed to replace just one wind turbine? Are we ok with tens of thousands of birds, including eagles, being killed by wind turbines? Those are just a few of the questions that need to be answered. Remember, there are tradeoffs to everything in life.

While PG&E’s numerous issues caused such a disaster in 2017 and 2018–and ended up in bankruptcy–most of the state’s power companies have similar issues. We need to promptly start updating and hardening our electric grid in California, and frankly, throughout the entire country. Is it costly? Yes. Is it less closely than the lives of 35 people (as of this morning)? I think so!! Interestingly, private lands has been maintained properly, and has a fraction of the issues of public lands. Fix the grid, and properly maintain the forests and you’ll have much safer, and happier, states. Then, and only then, should anyone even thing about spending money on things like the “train to nowhere” for a mere $77 billion dollars, or other interesting but unnecessary ideas.