Discussion - Fire Solutions

There is no simple answer to the problem of increasingly frequent and destructive fires in California.  There are many contributors:

• decades or more of fire suppression have increased fuel loads
• clearcut logging has increased tree number, resulting in increased fuel loads and stressed trees more prone to being easily killed by drought or pine beetles
• invasive plant species often act as quick-growing ladder fuel, increasing the likelihood of a stand-replacing rather than understory burn
• climate change has expanded the fire season, increased tree mortality, and making conditions hotter and drier
• there has been an expansion of the number of people living in fire-prone areas
• we have aging electrical infrastructure and a distribution grid that depends on lines running above ground through fire-prone wildland areas

We are now going to think about how we can find our way forward given all of these contributors.  This assignment will focus on solutions focused on wildland management and making homes and landscapes more resistant and resilient.

The Discussion Post: 15 points

Below are links to resources on some solutions that could, in part, help address the problem.  

1. Sign up to read and/or watch one of the resources from the Google Sheet. Links to an external site.
2. Read and watch any embedded videos 
3. Summarize what you've learned from your resources to communicate this information to your classmates.  For example, you can include answers to the following questions: What was the resource? What were the key takeaways? How do they relate to wildfire or threats to infrastructure?  How can they be implemented to help address the problem?  Were there barriers to implementation mentioned, or ways we can overcome those barriers?
4. Write one discussion question: Make sure your questions are aimed at your fellow students. Don't write discussion questions that are for an expertTo make your questions elicit more discussion, write follow up questions. . Ask questions to help make the topic more personal
5. This part is due by Wednesday, December 4th 
6. Read and answer one student's discussion question . If someone has already answered it, you will need to chose a different posting to respond to. 
7. This is due by Sunday, December 8 at midnight