I am not sure there is an increase in the number of fires. The intensity of fires now is crazy- infernos all through the Southwest.
Years ago logging, livestock grazing, firewood gathering, Christmas tree cutting all kept the forest pretty well maintained and healthy. The enviros wanted all that to end, so where it is even allowed at all it is very regulated and limited. The trees are growing too close together which encourages disease and insect infestation. So unhealthy trees and thick underbrush along with tall dry grass makes fuel for the fires that is unreal. Instead of getting a normal type forest fire the result is an inferno. Sometimes burning so hot the trees will never grow back. In a healthy forest many trees will not even burn up in a fire, they get singed and survive.
Our agencies that are supposed to manage our public lands are not allowed to; enviro groups sue and find like minded judges so now the enviro groups are in charge of managing our public lands. They do that as badly as they do everything else.
I agree with you, it is not climate change. The change is socialist policies disguised as saving endangered specie and preserving the natural. The endangered specie obviously does not do well in the inferno fires but that is ignored.
As far as their ideas on letting nature take over, that worked well when no one fought the fires so they were a regular occurrence and the brush and trees never got out of control enough over a large area to have inferno fires. There were regular fires, most trees and critters survived.
It is really foolish now, mismanaging the land and then allowing development to be right there. A recipe for disaster.
It is worse in California because in many areas the state has passed laws and put regulations in effect that control even how much brush clearing and tree thinning can legally be done on privately owned land.
The most important thing for PG&E execs was how much bonus money they would get every year. It was based on how much money they saved. You save money by not doing maintenance.
Now add in the politicians who block new power plants, close down others, put in windmills that blight the landscape, block brush and tree clearance, raise electric rates to pay for the gov’t pensions, reduce road lanes because they want the peons walking or taking a bus or riding a bike which cause deaths in a forest fire.
Will the politicians or PG&E change? The answer is no.
They will blame us for living near a tree and will raise electric rates again. Some 22 cents a kw now in areas and rising.