2 (3?) years ago it was most of southern BC engulfed in smoke, towns burned to the ground — fortunately i am on a mountain and avoided the worst of the smoke.
Changes in precipitation with flood or drought. Our big fireseason was proceeded with the drowning of a significang part of BX between Vancouver & the mountains.
This year it started in northern Alberta (with a bit of spill-over to northern BC), that is largely (or as much as possible) controlled, but the maitimes and northern Quebec are buring now smoking up the midweat and north east US.
The fire danger map of BC right now is all yellow orange and red. We do have a smallish (100+ km2) fire on the island here that has cut of most of the west coast from the rest of the world.
These could have similar longer term consequences as the smoke from Austrlai burns (the year before last?), the worldwide impact is just now being measured (or more early results are hittin gthe more general media)
dave
Changes in precipitation with flood or drought. Our big fireseason was proceeded with the drowning of a significang part of BX between Vancouver & the mountains.
This year it started in northern Alberta (with a bit of spill-over to northern BC), that is largely (or as much as possible) controlled, but the maitimes and northern Quebec are buring now smoking up the midweat and north east US.
The fire danger map of BC right now is all yellow orange and red. We do have a smallish (100+ km2) fire on the island here that has cut of most of the west coast from the rest of the world.
These could have similar longer term consequences as the smoke from Austrlai burns (the year before last?), the worldwide impact is just now being measured (or more early results are hittin gthe more general media)
dave
In Alberta we basically went straight from winter to summer. No spring, so no precipitation.
Farmers sometimes burn their fields and the weather window for this is pretty narrow (like 1-2 weeks). Burn too early and the stuff won't burn. Burn too late and the fire gets out of control. So that adds complexity. I'm not pointing fingers.
It's not uncommon that we have fires in May. It's uncommon that so many are out of control, though it's getting better.
Tom
Farmers sometimes burn their fields and the weather window for this is pretty narrow (like 1-2 weeks). Burn too early and the stuff won't burn. Burn too late and the fire gets out of control. So that adds complexity. I'm not pointing fingers.
It's not uncommon that we have fires in May. It's uncommon that so many are out of control, though it's getting better.
Tom
Yeah, the town of Lytton was literally wiped out in June 2021.
Late summer last year was bad for smoke here too.
jeff
I don't remember these fires happening like this 20 or 30 years ago.
These fires are going to make climate change worse. They are part of a so-called positive feedback loop. I fear we've passed the tipping point for global warming.
The East Coast has been subjected to dangerous smoke. We've had haze here and I can smell the smoke sometimes when I walk. I could smell it for the last three years during wildfire season. Just a slight shift of the wind will bring the worst of it here. People's allergies are being affected by it, including my allergies.
I hope everyone is safe. My buddy in San Jose said he was confined to the house during California wildfires because of the smoke. I feel sorry for anyone that has to go out and work in the heavy smoke.
These fires are going to make climate change worse. They are part of a so-called positive feedback loop. I fear we've passed the tipping point for global warming.
The East Coast has been subjected to dangerous smoke. We've had haze here and I can smell the smoke sometimes when I walk. I could smell it for the last three years during wildfire season. Just a slight shift of the wind will bring the worst of it here. People's allergies are being affected by it, including my allergies.
I hope everyone is safe. My buddy in San Jose said he was confined to the house during California wildfires because of the smoke. I feel sorry for anyone that has to go out and work in the heavy smoke.
In spite of the crazy conditions, the weather here has been very mild. Temps are downright pleasant and the humidity is very low. We've had almost no rain in the last three weeks which isn't a good thing. If it gets hot, we will be in danger of wildfires here.
I think the year was 2012 when it was so hot and dry here. Everything was brown and completely dried up. Authorities warned that using fireworks for the Fourth of July would be very dangerous. On the Fourth neighbors gathered in front of my house to shoot fireworks over the tracks. I was concerned about fire, especially my own house catching fire. Our group was not the only source of fireworks in the neighborhood that night. Sure enough, some brush caught fire a couple blocks away from my house. You could clearly see it since my house is right next to the tracks. I told everyone to go home (fireworks are illegal here) and please grab all your stuff because I was calling the fire department. As I was on the phone, I was amazed and horrified at just how fast the fire grew and spread; in less than a minute a roaring wall of fire was just 70 feet from my house. The fire department arrived pronto and put it out quickly. They left in a hurry to put out some more fires.
I can imagine the fires in Canada are way worse than that; way hotter and faster spreading. If this is what climate change portends, I'm hating it already.
I think the year was 2012 when it was so hot and dry here. Everything was brown and completely dried up. Authorities warned that using fireworks for the Fourth of July would be very dangerous. On the Fourth neighbors gathered in front of my house to shoot fireworks over the tracks. I was concerned about fire, especially my own house catching fire. Our group was not the only source of fireworks in the neighborhood that night. Sure enough, some brush caught fire a couple blocks away from my house. You could clearly see it since my house is right next to the tracks. I told everyone to go home (fireworks are illegal here) and please grab all your stuff because I was calling the fire department. As I was on the phone, I was amazed and horrified at just how fast the fire grew and spread; in less than a minute a roaring wall of fire was just 70 feet from my house. The fire department arrived pronto and put it out quickly. They left in a hurry to put out some more fires.
I can imagine the fires in Canada are way worse than that; way hotter and faster spreading. If this is what climate change portends, I'm hating it already.
Big nature fires always have been arround, the new thing is is that they happen way up north than before. We in Europe have them also btw. We had some smaller fires already here in Belgium and are very catious for what comes this summer (alarm phase 3 (of 4) is active. Our rules are very strickt to avoid fires so farmers don't burn land here (ever), and open fire is prohibited in all nature, and very restricted elsewhere. But even then, lightning, a powercable that snaps, or a smoker that throws his cigarette in nature can still light a big fire.
Southern Europe had it's first big fires very early this year, especially in Spain it was bad this march. It's the climate change that causes drought and so make woodland and open grassland very sensitive to fire.
Southern Europe had it's first big fires very early this year, especially in Spain it was bad this march. It's the climate change that causes drought and so make woodland and open grassland very sensitive to fire.
I lived in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado for a good stretch. Got tired of the fire seasons so I moved back east. Now this. All the years I lived there, I've never seen an air quality index as high as it is today in Maryland.
Living in NM, fires would start from leaves rubbing. No kidding. Conditions would be just right: lots of dry fuel, really low humidity and enough of a breeze to rub the leaves, supply steady oxygen and then spread the resulting fire.
Living in NM, fires would start from leaves rubbing. No kidding. Conditions would be just right: lots of dry fuel, really low humidity and enough of a breeze to rub the leaves, supply steady oxygen and then spread the resulting fire.
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there is 2.4 million km2 of forest in Canada. that's a lot of firebreak to cut... Or to put it in terms you might understand 72% of the land area of India. USA has another 3.3 million km2 of forest. that's more forest than most of us can get our heads around.
A fire fighter working on the big fire near Shelburne, NS, last month said forest fires have 3 main causes:
1. men
2. women
3. children
I was being polite...
The crime novel writer Ed McBain, in his 87th Precinct series, had a policeman say the the most crimes were caused by 3 Ls...
Lucre
Lust
Lunacy,
and the third was the hardest to solve.
As for the area, well, how many percent of the forest fcover are burned?
We had a US politician telling us about global warming, she was telling us to curb our energy use, and was politely told that the US is among the biggest users of energy per capita, so among the major culprits for global warming.
Let us see if it penetrates her senses.
The crime novel writer Ed McBain, in his 87th Precinct series, had a policeman say the the most crimes were caused by 3 Ls...
Lucre
Lust
Lunacy,
and the third was the hardest to solve.
As for the area, well, how many percent of the forest fcover are burned?
We had a US politician telling us about global warming, she was telling us to curb our energy use, and was politely told that the US is among the biggest users of energy per capita, so among the major culprits for global warming.
Let us see if it penetrates her senses.
Strips would be of no use. When the forests burn like that, with a wind, the flames will 'jump' extraordinary distances. They get large enough to create their own weather systems. Scary stuff indeed.
There is also the issue of fire management which has, over many years, suppressed small burns. This results in more and more deadfall accumulating in the forests which are perfect fodder for fires. I've been up four wheel drive roads to mountain tops in Southern B.C. (Cathedral Lakes Provincial Park) and the amount of deadfall in the forest there is incredible.
A few years back, job related, I had to travel into the northern part of my province. There had been a forest fire through the area a couple years previous and I was shocked at the sight. I've seen 'burnt' areas where there are still blackened stumps standing and some charred remains, but here there was nothing but ash and bare rock (this being the pre-cambrian shield it's all rock, trees and water) - no stumps, no residue.
The most common cause of homes destoyed near fires is some buring bits land on the cedar deck setting th ewhole house on fire and leaving the surroundings untouched.
dave
My son and daughter-in-law live north of Sonoma, CA with their 3 kids. They are on constant watch as you only have a few minutes to get ahead of the fire. Fires move with incredible speed.
I also have a nephew, a fire-jumper in Montana. Thankfully he has been promoted to management. The stories he tells are truly frightening, but his biggest fear is bees (for which he carries an epi-pen).
I also have a nephew, a fire-jumper in Montana. Thankfully he has been promoted to management. The stories he tells are truly frightening, but his biggest fear is bees (for which he carries an epi-pen).
One of the old ways of getting rid of stumps was to bore a hole in the thing about 3/4 inch in diameter and fill it with ground-up charcoal and an accelerant. Ignite and wait several weeks. The charcoal preparation was sold in hardware stores. We used it at our first house on Long Island NY.