We keep hearing reports about record forest fire seasons, like this wildly fraudulent story in USA today.
Prior to 1960, fires burned far more acreage. In the late 1920’s ten times as much acreage burned as the USA Today report.
Indicator 3.16: Area and percent of forest affected by abiotic agents
This drop off in forest fires after the 1950’s corresponds with the sharp drop in hot temperatures after the 1950’s in the US.
Everything you hear about the climate from government is a complete fraud. They have created a fictional story, straight out of Orwell’s 1984.
The modest recent increase is likely totally due to tree huggers limiting prudent husbandry of the forests letting underbrush go unabated resulting in less manageable fires when they do occur.
A few decades back I was lucky enough to spend some time in the National Forest in the Black Hills of South Dakota. One of the more instructive things that happened to me was when I ran across some old photos of the hills that were taken back in the 1870s when the first white settlers (in the interest of accuracy I must say first invaders — heck, even that is not right! The Sioux took it from the Cheyenne, and the Cheyenne took it from… well, I get a little hazy there) to enter the area. Any way, the old photos show a much more barren landscape. Few trees and lots more grass. Today’s forest is absolutely crammed compared to the older landscape. Personally, I prefer it the way it is now. As you imply though, some prudent burn offs to keep the under story fuel load down is a really good idea.
As usual, they have shifted the goal posts. I hardly ever hear the term”forest fires” anymore; what you hear is “wildfire.” This year in WA, was undoubtedly a bad fire season, but the alarmist conflate the issue by including brush fires, and all “wild” land fire into the accounting of what used to be forest fires (I.e. fires that burn forests, not brushy grassland/deserts!)
In terms of extent, the worst fires were in Idaho (1910), Michigan (1881) and New Brunswick (1825). Many times larger in extent than anything in recent memory.