The Phoenix "haters" (alligator, great, fire)

[Biz901]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

In a few years when 120+ highs become routine maybe you'll understand.

I'll just leave this here...

https://www.realclearmarkets.com/art...afc89-36424221

[American Expat]

Originally Posted by Biz901

I'll just leave this here...

https://www.realclearmarkets.com/art...afc89-36424221

Do you think Phoenix is a safe place to be for the next Ice Age? I fear Global Cooling much more than Global Warming.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Biz901

I'll just leave this here...

https://www.realclearmarkets.com/art...afc89-36424221

OK. There was a two year deviation. Now we're back to the global warming trend.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by Gerania

OK. There was a two year deviation. Now we're back to the global warming trend.

Or...we are moving back to a neutral El Nino/La Nina cycle after coming through a moderate La Nina winter...

[Valley Native]

After a long streak of winters that have been warmer & drier than average, I hope we're moving toward a cycle that's closer to normal than anything else ... or even better, a wetter cycle like we had during much of the 1980s & '90s. This past winter was unusually warm and dry. The higher than normal temperatures, as well as the lack of snow in the high country & lack of rain in the lower elevations have caused an early, rampant fire season.

Stupid, careless humans of course are to blame for these fires, but the chance of any kind of forest fire spreading as rapidly as these have would have been considerably lessened if the winter/early spring had been in a more normal weather pattern. But people still move here in droves because it's sunny & warm. Meanwhile, forests are going up in flames & many homes have either been burned or are in danger. I hope the sun freaks are happy!

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

After a long streak of winters that have been warmer & drier than average, I hope we're moving toward a cycle that's closer to normal than anything else ... or even better, a wetter cycle like we had during much of the 1980s & '90s. This past winter was unusually warm and dry. The higher than normal temperatures, as well as the lack of snow in the high country & lack of rain in the lower elevations have caused an early, rampant fire season.

Stupid, careless humans of course are to blame for these fires, but the chance of any kind of forest fire spreading as rapidly as these have would have been considerably lessened if the winter/early spring had been in a more normal weather pattern. But people still move here in droves because it's sunny & warm. Meanwhile, forests are going up in flames & many homes have either been burned or are in danger. I hope the sun freaks are happy!

And if they (environmentalists/others) would allow downed fuels to be cleaned out and the forests to be thinned of standing dead trees the fire risk would be lessened and if one does happen it'd be less intense/easier to put out.

Year after year it's always the same old thing, even when a fire goes through and kills a bunch of trees it takes an act of god to even get a permit allowing the harvesting of those burned trees. They can be harvested after a fire but it has to be quickly done or they become worthless...

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by jimj

And if they (environmentalists/others) would allow downed fuels to be cleaned out and the forests to be thinned of standing dead trees the fire risk would be lessened and if one does happen it'd be less intense/easier to put out.

This is true, but fires will still happen unfortunately, largely because of these morons who start them. Seriously, do they not realize the importance of properly extinguishing campfires, or understand that shooting off fireworks in a tinder dry forest is utterly stupid?! I am hoping that this storm system moving through will provide enough moisture to help with fighting the Tinder Fire north of Payson. The biggest obstacle, however, is the wind which we've had a lot of in the past month!

[DougStark]

I never knew it (almost) takes major effort to remove downed or burnt trees. Sounds stupid.

I think the "tree thinning" objective in the high country is to remove excessive small trees living under the canopy of the mature ones. Ponderosa pine, mostly.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by DougStark

I never knew it (almost) takes major effort to remove downed or burnt trees. Sounds stupid.

I think the "tree thinning" objective in the high country is to remove excessive small trees living under the canopy of the mature ones. Ponderosa pine, mostly.

It is a huge process to remove down/burnt trees and ground fuels because of the groups that believe humans have no right to meddle with nature and some even go as far as to say that humans should be barred from even entering the woods as they destroy the ecosystem/disturb wildlife just by being there...

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by jimj

It is a huge process to remove down/burnt trees and ground fuels because of the groups that believe humans have no right to meddle with nature and some even go as far as to say that humans should be barred from even entering the woods as they destroy the ecosystem/disturb wildlife just by being there...

The irony being of course that we’ve fuel loaded our forests thanks to decades of not allowing proper wild fires to run their course.