Andrew Yang Policy on REDUCE WILDFIRES

The last 4 years have been the 4 hottest on record. Based on current emission levels, that trend is likely to continue. The extended summer season coupled with the hotter temperatures is causing the premature deaths of millions of trees and leaving our forests drier, making them more susceptible to megafires.

At the same time, decades of fighting the spread of all wildfires has prevented a natural cycle of thinning that had kept forest fires under control. Before European settlement of the West, 1.5m acres would burn each year; since then, it’s about 57k acres/year. Less than 2% of California forestland saw proactive treatment in some recent years, and one of the most effective means at controlling future fires – prescribed burns – is limited by cultural and legal hurdles, EPA standards and the Endangered Species Act. However, this takes a short-term view on the dangers of uncontrolled wildfires to both environmental quality and animals in these habitats.

We have a problem in this country, and it’s costing us billions of dollars a year. We need to start listening to what the experts recommend on how to control these fires.

More money needs to be spent on prevention, and we need to properly fund the US Forest Service in order to proactively address threats before they become fires. We also need to shift our cultural view that all wildfires must be stopped in order to allow the natural cycle to regain control.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/reduce-wildfires/