“California’s historic wet winter risks making wildfire season even worse”
Today’s News Herald / Havasu News by Tribune News Service, April 16, 2023
SYNOPSIS
California’s heavy rain and snow will increase vegetation growth that some claim may increase the likelihood and severity of wildfires.
CONTENT
FACT: “…elevated moisture is now fueling an explosion of plant growth unlike anything the state’s seen in years.” More precipitation can increase vegetation.
EXAGGERATION: “Soon, that growth will dry out, transforming buds and blossoms into kindling.” Many studies show that the main contributor to wildfires is not vegetation growth but hot temperatures, drought/dry weather, and high winds.
INACCURACY: “…forests have been ravaged by recent blazes.”
Wildfire—including high-severity fire—is a natural and essential component of western forest ecosystems. The use of “ravage” is inaccurate depiction of a post-fire landscape.
OMISSION: Leaves out how agency/industry has been relying on a contested “overgrown fuels” narrative to log public forests.
GRADES
BALANCE: C
Quotes California Department of Forestry along with climate scientists but no environmental advocates to counter industry/agency narrative in favor of logging.
SCIENCE: B-
Some climate science, but no mention of any of the hundreds peer-reviewed studies contesting the industry “fuels” narrative.
OBJECTIVITY: C+
While focusing on the alleged threat of “fuels,” the article does acknowledge that “wet winters don’t guarantee historic fire seasons.”
FINAL GRADE: C+
CONCLUSION
While containing some valid scientific arguments, the article relies on a contested industry/agency narrative to focus almost exclusively on an assumed role of vegetation in wildfire without mentioning any other factors.
(Update: Contrary to the article’s predictions, only 22,193 acres ended up burning in California in 2023, compared to the average of 114,240, with a much drier 2024 already at 256,628 acres.)
Eco-Integrity Alliance 