Editor,
“Fuel breaks can spare California from future devastation,” May 22 guest perspective by John Hawkins, is an overstatement. While playing an important role in wildfire preparedness for defensible space in and around communities and for evacuation safety, fuel breaks are not the be-all and end-all to prevent community destruction. The author admits that fuel break completion in Paradise failed to protect the town.
He cites the Camp Fire’s incredible speed. In this era of worsening climate change, wildfires are generally spreading more rapidly. Two centuries of overly aggressive logging have converted forests into dense, small-diameter, agricultural tree farms. With strong winds, prolonged heat and drought, fires quickly spread through dry, flammable materials. Embers can travel for miles, easily igniting tree farms and crossing fire breaks to set homes and structures ablaze. The challenging weather conditions are making it increasingly difficult for firefighters to control wildfires.
To grasp what can protect communities in a high-intensity wildfire, one need only look at post-Camp Fire images. In the midst of leveled neighborhoods, occasional structures survived. Why? They were made more durable with features like fire-resistant roofing and siding, double-pane windows, and properly sized vents. Hardening entire communities in a like manner is a strategy that would spare them from total destruction by wildfire. Making hardening financially feasible for property owners should be a top priority for city and county managers as well as state legislators.
As for lawmakers, please also genuinely address climate change. Reversing it is truly the only way to prevent future devastation.
Jennifer Normoyle
Hillsborough
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