Comments by "Bo McGillacutty" (@Mrbfgray) on "NBC News" channel.

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  44.  75joev  My principle point here is that it's unproductive to throw up our hands and say "we're screwed, there is nothing we can do about it" beyond reducing CO2 and such which we have to do regardless. There is plenty to be done from building fire resistance into structures to reducing the fuel load in the wild lands. Long before climate was even a mainstream concern "WE knew" (those of us in this area who are aware at least) that Paradise and the whole region was facing this major threat. It has been a topic of conversation for decades. We knew 50 yr.s ago what should have been done but wasn't, probably a lot longer than that for those old enough. I have a friend who has over 100 acres in the hills not far from Paradise, he will probably be one of the very few who will be fine WHEN, not if, the fire crosses his area. He has the entire place free of heavy brush, ladder branches trimmed up high (branches that can carry fire from ground to canopy on large trees), half a century of pine needle deposits several ft. deep cleared and burned off, etc, there simply isn't much left to carry a fire through unless it 'crowns out' and even then it at least can't threaten his house as the large trees are nicely spaced out. And of course he has steel roofs and other common sense features. He didn't clear cut anything other than the immediate areas built on, it's beautiful with even some cleaned up manzanita bushes tastefully left. It's almost shocking the difference between his land and the surrounding area where the 10' tall DENSE flammable brush is impenetrable by man, machine or even light....when that goes during dry weather it takes everything with it. The unchecked neighboring acreage even looks ugly in comparison. It's not likely feasible to invest that sort of effort into the entire landscape but it's a MODEL of what could and should be done all around populate areas and to a lesser extent everywhere in those foothills. NO WAY it needs to be as bad as the Paradise catastrophe. Many of the same principles apply to the South as well.
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