Trump blames wildfires on California forest policy and threatens to withhold funds from state

L A Times ^ | Oct 17, 2018 | 8:05 PM | Susanne Rust and Louis Sahagun

[BenLurkin]

“I say to the governor, or whoever is going to be the governor of California, you better get your act together,” Trump said at the meeting. “We’re just not going to continue to pay the kind of money we’re paying because of fires that should never be to the extent.” It is unclear what funding the president is suggesting he would withhold — whether for forest management or firefighting on federal land, aid and reimbursements to state agencies after fires, or something else entirely.

…

[The Presdient] blamed “incompetence” for causing the federal government to pay out “hundreds of billions of dollars.”

“It’s a disgraceful thing. Old trees are sitting there, rotting and dry. And instead of cleaning it up, they don’t touch them,” Trump said of the state’s land management programs.

…

“It’s hard to say, exactly, what he’s talking about,” said Scott McLean, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection deputy chief, referring to the president’s comments.

McLean said if the federal government pulled funding, state and private lands would largely be immune. The real problem, he said, would be in the national forests, which are not under Cal Fire’s jurisdiction.

Last year, 1.4 million acres in California burned, about 745,000 of them on federal land. So far this year, 1.366 million acres have burned, with about 742,000 on federal land, “and we’re not finished yet,” McLean said.

The state funds several programs that allow Cal Fire to remove dead trees and brush, as well as perform controlled burns, McLean said. And it allocated $443 million for emergency fire funds, which have already been used. The agency has asked the state for $243 million more.

[BenLurkin]

Environmentalists reacted quickly to Trump’s latest comments suggesting he is trying to use fire prevention as an excuse to raid California’s forests. They contend he is making a move to open ecologically sensitive public land for timber production, as well as for potential solar, wind, broadband infrastructure, mining, off-road vehicles and grazing uses.

“Trump's threat to cut off funding is profoundly dangerous,” said Chad Hanson, a research ecologist and spokesman for the John Muir Project.

[BigEdLB]

The Prez is correct. We have a house of fools in Sacramento.

[Navy Patriot]

PDJT is correct, California State agencies and employees are malfeasant and incompetent.

[Pelham]

“The real problem, he said, would be in the national forests, which are not under Cal Fire’s jurisdiction.”

The long term drought stresses the forest, bark beetles attack weak trees, the trees die. No one is allowed to thin out the forest so that the remaining trees are strong enough to resist bark beetles.

I thought that this was a federally created problem, but maybe not. It’s not as if this state isn’t run by lunatic environmentalists in addition to the usual latino communists.

[MileHi]

“It’s hard to say, exactly, what he’s talking about,”

I suppose, if you're a leftist moron.

[palmer]

The problem is very simple. An average fire season in California should burn about 4 million acres. One and two years after a very wet rainy season the total should be even more. Instead there are a piddling 1.4 million acres burned.

Solutions are simple. Burn more forest, particularly brush. And/or clear more forest, particularly brush.

How do we know this? Because the average acreage burned each year before 1800 was about 4 million.

[Califreak]

The tinfoil hat theory is that the fires are being intentionally set to benefit Jerry’s kids(illegals)with federal dollars.

It’s a wild theory but if most of the fires are on federal land there’s another piece of the puzzle that fits.

It sucks here in Jerry’s HOA Paradise.

[Mariner]

The man is tireless.

Incessant cattle prod.

A truly impressive leader.

[W.]

Trump speaks common sense. Wait for the left-wing screamers...

[CottonBall]

“The state funds several programs that allow Cal Fire to remove dead trees and brush, as well as perform controlled burns, McLean said.”

But this is only a recent development. Trump is right, we had a cabin in the Sierras and all around in the Sequoia National Forest there was downed trees and brush untouched for decades.

[KTM rider]

they are also lacking in initial attack same goes for Oregon and Washington. It is political. They will spend billions on mopping up and rolling out to chase the fire around and try to steer it away from homes. But the initial attack budget is zilch. There is no gain by putting out fires before they become huge. No one would ever know it was going huge, no one cares. If 100 small fires started and were all put out before they went big, no one knew, no one cared, so the forest supervisor gets in trouble for spending all that money on "nothing". Its better for him politically to let it burn

I know this from experience in the USFS wildland fire.

[Dogbert41]

All I did was use Google earth to see a billion dead dried up trees across California. Nobody is allowed on the fancy shmancy Wilderness Areas except by foot anymore. Nobody is going to clear out what they aren’t allowed to drive to. Pretty simple stuff.

[kingu]

Had a gal in the car who absolutely hated Trump today; we talked about this topic specifically - helped we were traveling through some pretty dense forest at the moment. ‘Let me know if you see a fire road,’ I suggested as she started to lambaste the president again.

She finished her tirade, paused, and said ‘there aren't any fire roads.’

She's by no means a convert; I bet she'll still hate his twitter feed and a number of other things. The only thing that really changed is her belief that every single thing the president does is wrong; from immigration to trade to water rights to forest management, she found herself siding with the president time and time again.

I'll be interested to see how much others can reprogram her to spout the authorized memes of liberals who have already predetermined her opinions by Sunday.

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[Parmy]

Trump is exactly correct.

[forester]

the article is total propaganda by the enviros and Dems - I had to evacuate my girlfriend last month from the path of the Delta Fire. It appears that an arsonist set both the Delta Fire and the Hirz Fire - which burned into the Carr Fire burn scar - 350,000 acres total - everything north and west of Shasta Lake - the States largest reservoir Our firm is currently working on helping small landowners who lost everything try to salvage what timber they can - the paperwork costs are beginning to exceed the value of their trees - I hate this with a passion - salvage logging sucks for a forester - the landowners are grieving and this screwed up State stands in the way of trying to get the land cleared and replanted. After 35 years in the California timber industry I am convinced this is on purpose - burn out the conservative rural areas and then take the federal money and spend it on social justice programs in the city. Trump is right, this is a scam.

[CottonBall]

Liberals just can’t seem to think ahead and about consequences on any issue can they?