Main Cause of Catastrophic Wildfires is Decades of Mismanagement by Federal and State Governments

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Later today, President Trump will visit California for an update on the catastrophic wildfires raging in the country’s most populous state. Recent headlines have blamed climate change for the scale of the fires, but CEI’s Myron Ebell points to another main cause: decades of mismanagement by federal and state governments.

Director of CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment Myron Ebell said:

“The main cause of the catastrophic fires on the West coast is decades of mismanagement by federal and state governments.  Returning to active timber management, including logging, thinning, and prescribed burns, would quickly reduce the size and intensity of forest fires.  Coastal chaparral burns naturally every few years, but clearing extensive fire breaks would help protect communities and isolated houses.  Politicians need to stop using long-term climate change as an excuse for not taking these actions now to protect people’s homes and livelihoods.”