Not only do the trees need the thinning but most of the underbrush has to be removed. It is more dangerous than the trees. I was raised in timber country in N. Calif. and hated “clear cutting”. There is no reason that smart logging can’t be done. (Selective cutting)
It is nice to see that the foresters are beginning to be able to make some of the scientific decisions.
instead of the lawyers and politicicans.
A “shaded fuel break” removes the ladder fuels that help the fire climb into the crowns of trees. Once it gets in there, it can move extremely fast and is difficult to fight. A shaded fuel break knocks a crown fire to the ground. If the ladder fuels (bushes etc.) have been removed, it slows the fire and makes it easier to fight.