Hey there, your resident former firefighter here with a thread about #wildfires. I know it seems like wildfires go dormant for most of the year and then pop up in late summer and early fall, out of nowhere, but this just isn't true. The reason for wildfires is not a simple one.

Fire has been an integral part of a diverse range of ecosystems throughout the United States for thousands of years. The people who came across the land bridge eons ago brought fire with them, but it was here even before people. Most ecosystems, including those in the southeast,

northeast, southwest, Pacific Northwest, and northwest, are what's called "fire adapted." That means: they need fire. Many of their native species have evolved with fire, and will only continue to evolve with fire.

When white people arrived out west, they saw "boundless" forest

and "wilderness." They neglected to see the people already living there as human and quickly Indigenous Americans were decimated, especially in California, which had the most diverse linguistic and cultural pop. of Native Americans in the U.S. Most of these white people also

failed to see that many Native Americans practiced agroforestry and used fire to hunt, plant, and harvest. Fire kept their land healthy. They knew this.

About a hundred years ago, after many Indigenous American cultures and people had been decimated, people began to see fire as

bad. This viewpoint was aided by the timber industry, which pressured the U.S. gov't to begin suppressing fire. Many people, including those at the Forest and Park Service, saw wildfires as evil and destructive, although scientists and others, even then, said that fire was

helpful and integral to the health of the land. Eventually, in 1935, a law called the 10am policy was enacted. All fires, when found, had to be completely out by 10am the following morning. Following this was decades of intense fire suppression, leading the the unnatural

accumulation of fuels in many areas (although in some areas this policy had little effect, because some places naturally have very intense fires every 150-300 years, like Yellowstone). Anywho- this was bad. The Park Service got its head out of its ass in the 70's, when a report

was written by a committee demanding that fire be reintroduced to Park Service land. But the Forest Service and state agencies have lagged, mostly because the majority of their funds end up being spent on huge fires like the ones happening now. These fires happen, and the public

demands a giant show of suppression. Agencies throw billions of dollars at the fires, sometimes in vain (when a fire is going...it's going). That sucks money from the budgets that would have been used to do what's called prescribed burning and other initiatives that help

keep land healthy and less fire prone. We get an insane feedback loop, of which #ClimateEmergency is only a small sliver of the whole picture. I'm writing a book about all of this, plus my experience as a hotshot. You can subscribe to my newsletter here: https://anastasiaxx.substack.com/p/coming-soon 

What can you do in YOUR community about fire? Visit the @Firewise site and find out if your town or city has a program. Talk to your local fire departments and implement fire safety in and around your home. Help your neighbors who can't afford it. We are all part of this

ecosystem. When fires happen, we can't just expect firefighters to save us. We need to assume some responsibility for our well being. Get active in your community. I send my love to everyone who's being affected by wildfires right now. <3

Correction! The land bridge theory is one of many! Thank you