why all the fires in the west? Too much rain in previous years meant a lot of growth root systems couldn't sustain in normal-to-low rainfall years. Add to that, people are no longer allowed to take dead wood off much of the fire range. Last year, the Big Horn fires came within 6 miles of where I live. What stopped it was cattle range. Cattle trampled dead brush into the earth where termites broke it up to make their gardens deep underground. Doing this, they add to soil carbon in Arizona, and often use the manure, as well.
why all the fires in the west? Too much rain in previous years meant a lot of growth root systems couldn't sustain in normal-to-low rainfall years. Add to that, people are no longer allowed to take dead wood off much of the fire range. Last year, the Big Horn fires came within 6 miles of where I live. What stopped it was cattle range. Cattle trampled dead brush into the earth where termites broke it up to make their gardens deep underground. Doing this, they add to soil carbon in Arizona, and often use the manure, as well.