Re: Inevitability of a fire . . . and subsequent flood

Earl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We have been in an extended drought in the
> southwest for several years.  This has also
> increased the killing of evergreens by bark
> beetles. What is done, is done. We have for-
> ests full of diseased, dying and dead trees,
> all of which make dandy fuel for a fire and
> will take very little effort to ignite. The problem
> here is even if the drought ended tomorrow,
> the dead and dying trees will still be there to
> fuel future fires.
>
> The problem here is simply not going away
> for many years to come.
>
> It is inevitable that a fire will happen. The
> question is simply "[not IF but] when?" .


Right On, Earl -

Humankind has been pushing harder and harder against Mother Nature for a few centuries now, and IMHO she's on the verge of getting even with us.

- Roosso

p.s.  For a fuller understanding of the 'fires causing floods' phenomenon, I once again suggest reading 'Los Angeles Against the Mountains', the third section of John McPhee's non-fiction treatise The Control of Nature (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1989).  The railfans among us may remember his diary of travels on a unit coal train from Wyoming to Georgia in John's 'Coal Train' that appeared as a two-part article in the New Yorker magazine a few years ago, and was republished as the next-to-last chapter of his collection Uncommon Carriers (also FS&G, but 2006).  If you're into Geology, western history and/or plate tectonics, I guarantee you will enjoy Annals of the Former World (FS&G, 1998).*

Disclaimer:  John McPhee is my second cousin on my mother's side of the family.  I'm not recommending his books because they're damn good reading, but because he's a relative and SFAIK the NGDF does not have an "emoluments clause" . . .    

*  A few years ago I challenged John to expand on 'Coal Train' with two or three more articles about railroaders and railfans, and combine them into an anthology to be called Annals of the Foamer World.  Regrettably, he declined the suggestion . . .