The California Chaparral Institute

While some vocal interests have blamed chaparral as causing the wildfire problem, the stories below clearly show that the real issue is poorly designed and maintained communities next to the wildland/urban interface. Wildfires driven by strong winds do not need much fuel to cause significant damage. The stories below are being posted to help portray the complete wildfire risk equation.

But first a simple parody...

THE HEALTHY GRASS INTITIATIVE

(a parody of the Healthy Forest Initiative)

Inspired by the recent terrible grass fires in Texas and Oklahoma, a major initiative is in the works to help reduce wildfire risk in, and improve the health of, our nation’s grasslands and weedy places. Due to decades of fire suppression and environmental regulations, grasses have been unnaturally accumulating, creating mousehair thickets, which have led to an increase in large, severe wildfires. The recent devastation in Oklahoma is just the beginning of what we will see if government action is not taken to correct past land management mistakes. In addition, environmentalists have unreasonably blocked many development and parking lot projects that could have eliminated many areas now covered in flammable, weedy material. A balance is needed between the needs of our communities and so called “wilderness values.” The Healthy Grass Initiative (HGI) will help bring this balance.

Prescribed fires are one of the methods described in the HGI to remove hazardous vegetation, however, there is not enough money in the world to burn all that needs to be burned. Therefore, part of the HGI will assist in providing public subsidies to build the infrastructure needed to create biomass energy plants near grassland areas. The grass will be mowed and sent to these plants to provide cheap energy to surrounding communities. Since the grass mowing will be needed on a year-round basis, the economic growth associated with the effort will also provided employment and additional housing to help address the housing crisis. Opportunities for methane production by using cattle will also stimulate technological advances in bovine flatus reclamation.

The government created the grassland problem, so it is the government’s moral responsibility to solve it. Please write or call your local representatives and urge them to support the HGI!

EXPLANATORY NOTE:

There is, of course, no such thing as the Healthy Grass Initiative. It is a parody on the Healthy Forest Initiative and those who advocate elimination of chaparral instead of dealing directly with wildfire risk by making communities themselves more fire safe.

The fact that tens of thousands of acres in Texas and Oklahoma have burned, and continue to burn in light, grassy fuels will hopefully enlighten those who think the only reason homes burn in California is because of “unhealthy” forests and chaparral. This whole issue is important because some continue to point to vegetation overgrowth (supposedly caused by fire suppression) as the reason homes burn.

Hopefully one message will be taken home from those who have watched the news, “You mean all those weeds that I encouraged to grow by clearing that native vegetation off my property can burn my house down too?”

Grass fires cause tough day in Texas

Flames devour Main Street in one town

By Sheila Flynn, Associated Press, January 3, 2006

Grass fire in Oklahoma. AP Photo.

RINGGOLD, Texas – Emergency crews went house to house in a search for victims in burned-out towns yesterday as firefighters in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma battled grass fires across the drought-stricken region.

Since Tuesday, fires have charred thousands of acres of grassland and farmland and destroyed more than 250 structures in the three states. Four deaths were reported last week in Texas and Oklahoma.

One of the weekend fires destroyed most of this ranch-and-cattle town of some 100 residents near the Oklahoma line, burning about 50 homes and 40,000 acres as wind swept the fire 13 miles from Ringgold to Nocona.

"It didn't take 30 minutes," Carol Ezzell said of the fire's run through town, destroying all but seven buildings on Main Street, including the post office.

She said the wind caused little fire tornadoes. "It was just turning, and every time it would make a loop it would just leap" and begin burning somewhere new, she said.

Everyone had been accounted for in Ringgold, but crews searched house to house for casualties in other fire-blackened towns, including Kokomo and Cross Plains, where more than 90 homes and a church were destroyed last week.

The Weather Service said conditions could worsen today, with low humidity and above-normal temperatures in the 70s in a region experiencing one of its worst droughts in 50 years.

Forecasters also predicted high winds, which make fighting the fires from the air more difficult.

"We are preparing statewide for an intense response (Tuesday), particularly from the ground," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said.

Computer models yesterday showed no rain in the foreseeable future, said Jesse Moore, a meteorologist in Fort Worth. He said the region's last appreciable rain was about a quarter-inch on Dec. 20.

Oklahoma is more than a foot behind its normal rainfall of about 36 inches for this time of year.

Firefighters remained on the job yesterday trying to contain several of the 20 fires that broke out the day before in Texas, including one in Eastland County, about 125 miles west of Dallas, that stretched for 25 miles. Firefighters said they were close to containing the fire but were concerned about an expected wind shift.

"Yesterday was a tough day in Texas," said Perry, in Nocona yesterday to survey the damaged area. "We had over 50,000 acres of land burned."

Since Nov. 1, Oklahoma wildfires have burned more than 285,000 acres and destroyed 200 buildings, said Michelle Finch, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department's forestry division.

"This has been an unprecedented year for fires," Finch said.

Fire season in Oklahoma usually begins around Feb. 15 and lasts until April 15, but this past year the fires began in June and have gotten progressively worse, Finch said.

Crews in southeastern New Mexico were helped by calmer winds yesterday as they mopped up four fires that had blackened more than 80,000 acres of grassland and burned 11 houses near Hobbs since Sunday.

The flames forced the evacuation of 200 to 300 people on the city's fringe, including about 170 from two Hobbs nursing homes. All but about 50 had returned home by midday yesterday, authorities said.

Article Link

Oklahoma grass fire burns through a playground. Reported by CNN and Associated Press

Winds thwart helicopters

In Oklahoma, gusty winds prevented helicopters from flying and dropping water on the flames, said Michelann Ooten, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

Ooten said Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters capable of pouring hundreds of gallons of water in one sweep would join firefighting efforts Wednesday if winds decrease.

Portion of news article by CNN, Wednesday, December 28, 2005; Posted: 6:48 a.m. EST (11:48 GMT)