[oyez]

Poor forest management. Owners need to harvest the mature growth and take the profit to the bank. Really, it too late now. The CA public must realize they essentually live in a desert, not a park.

[goldstategop]

California IS a desert state and the only way vegetation gets renewed is after a firestorm wipes out the dead growth. Humans see fire as evil but from Mother Nature's perspective, its the bringer of new life. The soil looks lifeless now but in a year or two there will be lush new growth. Figure this kind of event happening once every quarter century or so. We were long overdue for this and the only surprise was it didn't happen sooner.