Intense Wildfires and Drought Jeopardize California's Forests, Threaten Permanent Damage

Rapid Decline in Tree Cover with Mismatches in Preservation Efforts Sparks Debate; Severe Impact on Wildlife, Water Supplies, and Climate Goals Feared

Increasingly intense wildfires and drought have contributed to a rapid decline in tree cover in California, jeopardizing wildlife, water supplies, and efforts to capture climate-warming carbon. More than 1,760 square miles of tree cover have been lost since 1985.
Fire suppression practices, logging of large fire-resistant trees, and drought have resulted in forests becoming four to seven times denser than they were historically, leading to more severe fires and damaging the ability to store carbon in trees.
The firefighting strategy of the U.S. Forest Service has been risk averse, often extinguishing lower-intensity fires that could have beneficial effects. Critics argue that this approach has contributed to the threat of more severe forest fires.
Efforts for forest treatment include an agreement between the federal government and the State of California to reduce fuel on 1,560 square miles of forest each year by 2025. Tactics involve cutting smaller trees and setting intentional fires to clear forest litter.
There is considerable debate over forest management strategies, with some environmentalists suggesting that the threat of wildfires has been inflated to support logging efforts. These critics believe that measures such as removing dead trees or thinning forests can actually exacerbate the impact of climate change on forests.