Fog drip from Monterey Pine keeps the ground wet and reduces the risk of fire. Some of these trees are a century and a half old. The City of Oakland intends to cut every single one of them down.
David Maloney is a retired Oakland firefighter. He was Chief of Fire Prevention at the Oakland Army Base. And he served on the Taskforce created after the 1991 Firestorm. What does he have to say about the clearcutting proposal?
He calls it "land transformation disguised as a wildfire hazard mitigation plan. If it is implemented it will endanger firefighters and the general public; and it will be an outrageous waste of the taxpayers money."
He says that it "stand[s] fire science on its head," is "anathema to the Fire Service," and "violates every Fire Science principle relative to wildfire mitigation."
As to the claim that so-called "non-native" trees are more flammable, he says that "Such a determination is putting ideological or economic considerations ahead of the safety of firefighters and the public, and gives rise to propagandistic statements which are designed to scare the public, which have no basis in fire science."
He proposes a wildfire mitigation plan that does not cut down a single tree: "Fire Science has proven that every living tree -- regardless of its species -- due to its moisture content and canopy coverage of ground fuels, contributes to wildfire hazard mitigation."
Read his report by clicking here.
In addition, a study published by the U.S. Forest Service proposes mitigation only within a few feet of homes.
He calls it "land transformation disguised as a wildfire hazard mitigation plan. If it is implemented it will endanger firefighters and the general public; and it will be an outrageous waste of the taxpayers money."
He says that it "stand[s] fire science on its head," is "anathema to the Fire Service," and "violates every Fire Science principle relative to wildfire mitigation."
As to the claim that so-called "non-native" trees are more flammable, he says that "Such a determination is putting ideological or economic considerations ahead of the safety of firefighters and the public, and gives rise to propagandistic statements which are designed to scare the public, which have no basis in fire science."
He proposes a wildfire mitigation plan that does not cut down a single tree: "Fire Science has proven that every living tree -- regardless of its species -- due to its moisture content and canopy coverage of ground fuels, contributes to wildfire hazard mitigation."
Read his report by clicking here.
In addition, a study published by the U.S. Forest Service proposes mitigation only within a few feet of homes.