How decades of stopping forest fires made them worse

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 21 сен 2021
  • Decades of stopping forest fires have made them worse. Can we undo the damage?
    Subscribe and turn on notifications 🔔 so you don't miss any videos: goo.gl/0bsAjO
    1910’s “Big Blow Up” remains one of the most disastrous wildfires in US history. Hurricane-force winds fanned and threw embers for miles. Full, flaming trees became dangerous projectiles as they were reportedly torn from the ground. After two days, 3 million acres throughout Idaho and Montana had burned. The devastation had a lasting effect on the United States and shaped US forest policy for the next century. But it also created a deep misunderstanding of what fire means to a forest.
    A century of fire suppression has reshaped our forests. The floor is littered with material that is dense, dried, and dead. Now, climate change is highlighting why that’s a problem. Increasingly hot, dry weather has resulted in a longer, more dramatic wildfire season, and the forests are ready to ignite. The United States is struggling to keep up with the blazes year after year, so scientists and indigenous people are pushing to bring back a centuries-old practice: burning the forests on our own terms, through prescribed burning.
    This is the third video in our climate change coverage this week and the next. You can watch the first video on extreme heat 🌡 and what cities are doing to cool down here: • How America's hottest ...
    And the second video on high-voltage transmission lines ⚡️ and why the US isn't ready for clean energy here: • Why the US isn't ready...
    Note: The headline on this pieace has been updated. Previous headline: "How burning a forest can help save it".
    Additional reading:
    You can check out Crystal Kolden’s website and her research here: www.pyrogeographer.com/
    For more information on Elizabeth Azzuz and the Yurok tribe: www.hcn.org/articles/south-wi...
    www.nationalgeographic.com/hi...
    Our science reporter Umair Irfan explained prescribed burning and how colonists strategically stopped cultural burns in a deliberate attempt to eradicate American Indians:
    www.vox.com/21507802/wildfire...
    Prescribed or controlled burning is proven successful again and again, but it’s still not happening enough. As climate change worsens the safety window to conduct these types of burns gets smaller and smaller. More on that and other information on prescribed burns here:
    www.theguardian.com/world/202...
    acconsensus.org/wp-content/up...
    www.fs.fed.us/psw/publication...
    www.theatlantic.com/science/a...
    Even having evolved with fire, climate change is changing the game for our forests - it’s getting harder and harder for them to regenerate after massive burns. In 2021, rangers were racing to cover our Sequoia trees with fire-resistant blankets in an attempt to save them:
    www.npr.org/2021/09/17/103791...
    www.hcn.org/articles/climate-...
    Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out www.vox.com.
    Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
    Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o
    Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Комментарии • 1,6 тыс.

  • @Vox
    @Vox  2 года назад +1807

    The image you see at 1:24 of a real, live “Smokey the Bear” was taken in the 1950’s. This bear cub was found badly burned after a New Mexico wildfire. He was picked up and treated for his burns in Santa Fe.
    He was later transported to the National Zoo in Washington, DC, where he lived out his life as a living symbol of Smokey the Bear. He received so many letters that he was even given his own zip code. You can read more about it here: smokeybear.com/en/smokeys-history/story-of-smokey -Kim

    • @pz-sc6201
      @pz-sc6201 2 года назад +87

      That’s beary wholesome.

    • @realtalk5329
      @realtalk5329 2 года назад +34

      Did you know that your memory of "smokey THE bear" is from a parallel universe that i too also have a memory of? In this universe its always been "SMOKEY BEAR"

    • @novan998
      @novan998 2 года назад +1

      @@maxd161990 Yoo rsgggdfsdstatsx

    • @Dumptheclutchevo
      @Dumptheclutchevo 2 года назад +8

      @@realtalk5329 Mandela Effect

    • @laurabowles
      @laurabowles 2 года назад +6

      I'm very glad to read this, because my first thought when I saw the photo was, "Oh no, they captured a baby bear and used it for animal tourism."

  • @justinfowler2857
    @justinfowler2857 2 года назад +1949

    We've known this for decades. Yet more and more people move to fire prone areas and still demand all fires be suppressed. Thus the problem continues to get worse.

    • @jjbarajas5341
      @jjbarajas5341 2 года назад +170

      The fiery version of building in flood plains and being surprised when your home is flooded.

    • @ninjamusic9554
      @ninjamusic9554 2 года назад +80

      The Indigenuous people have known that for centuries

    • @tuckertooley174
      @tuckertooley174 2 года назад +122

      @@ninjamusic9554 they knew everything about the land they were on and we ignored and killed them

    • @benkoskinen3871
      @benkoskinen3871 2 года назад +80

      America is the best example of "we know about the problem for decades, and we are going to do exactly nothing about it"

    • @stonep11
      @stonep11 2 года назад +17

      @@jjbarajas5341 New Orleans in a nutshell

  • @yadisfhaddad722
    @yadisfhaddad722 2 года назад +2129

    I love how the 21st century is about learning what indigenous communities knew for thousands of years about ecosystem management and sustainability. Is long overdue, but better late than never.

    • @itsmecaldo
      @itsmecaldo 2 года назад +112

      Right??? Colonizers come and duck everything up and push and suppress the natives but when they duck up to much they use indigenous techniques. Indigenous are the only native Americans that are one with the land.

    • @LadyScaper
      @LadyScaper 2 года назад +171

      I kinda wish indigenous cultures were also classed as scientists, because they have known this for over a millennia. Indigenous scientists have known and done the ecological studies/science and incorporated the results into the general culture. Scientific results that western scientists have only recently figured out.
      I feel like the using the term indigenous scientists, helps settlers understand how important the centuries of indigenous science is to everyone and needs to be followed (just like western science).
      What tragedies could have been avoided if indigenous science was respected much earlier then now?

    • @starmaker75
      @starmaker75 2 года назад +93

      it funny how colonizer says their master of this land, but only now understanding using land properly

    • @MagicalBread
      @MagicalBread 2 года назад +5

      EXACTLY

    • @amelie3012
      @amelie3012 2 года назад +55

      It reminds me how the Renaissance was basically rediscovering Roman and Greek knowledge that was forgotten during middle ages

  • @slushyrh
    @slushyrh 2 года назад +2328

    We do this all the time in Australia just before fire season. It really makes a difference and has definitely stopped a couple fires from starting.

    • @NeonMirah
      @NeonMirah 2 года назад +141

      Was just about to say this. We do back burning all of the time in Australia

    • @jeffreycater5447
      @jeffreycater5447 2 года назад +7

      @@Moo-fb2kb ok

    • @fgsaramago
      @fgsaramago 2 года назад +9

      That's the lazy way out. Very damaging to the environment and wildlife. How about putting serious resources into raking/cleaning as it's done in developed countries?

    • @jeffreycater5447
      @jeffreycater5447 2 года назад +218

      @@fgsaramago did you not take in any information from the video... this is how most places that are developed do it... I’m not American and we do control burns

    • @santaclaws1501
      @santaclaws1501 2 года назад +234

      @@fgsaramago do you know how large australia is? It isn't feasible to have people rake an area half the size of Europe each year. Besides, the forests in australia are meant to be burned. Many eucalyptus trees need fire to reproduce. The indigenous people of australia have also done this for thousands of years, and even some birds here intentionally spread it.

  • @peterwhite034
    @peterwhite034 2 года назад +1446

    I had a geography professor whose specialty was Pyrogeography, and we learned this exact theory. The fires clear out underbrush and weak trees

    • @MoonLiteNite
      @MoonLiteNite 2 года назад +25

      but great scientist of cali are just learning of this :')
      I learned this 30 years as a kid, i can't believe they are just figuring this out in cali...

    • @fgsaramago
      @fgsaramago 2 года назад +1

      As opposed to having people go there and clean it as it's done in developed countries. It's the lazy way out

    • @Honeybadger_525
      @Honeybadger_525 2 года назад +49

      @@MoonLiteNite Scientists have understood the importance of fires in the ecology of the Sierra Nevada for decades, now. The issue is that our government (both state and federal) have largely ignored the science and the problem for just as long and have not provided adequate resources to the responsible agencies to properly manage our forests nor have they removed policy barriers to allow for more controlled burns

    • @MySwordMyBowMyAxe
      @MySwordMyBowMyAxe 2 года назад +26

      @@fgsaramago This comment displays ignorance. Smaller fires provide space, nutrients & great chance for new healthy growth. Many pine cones require fires to melt the resin stopping seeds from being exposed.
      Simply removing "cleaning out" forests is labor intensive and not necessarily the healthiest thing for those ecosystems

    • @crimsonrose
      @crimsonrose 2 года назад +9

      @@MoonLiteNite Stop lying. I went to uni in California and I also learned about this 10 years ago from a professor at that school.

  • @SaltySparrow
    @SaltySparrow 2 года назад +542

    It makes total sense. Firefighters didn't exist 5,000 years ago and trees still exist. Its a process of death and renewal to reinvigorate.

    • @windblazeanims6253
      @windblazeanims6253 2 года назад +6

      Brash and ignorant North Americans clearly didn't understand or know that until just recently I guess.

    • @1gorSouz4
      @1gorSouz4 2 года назад +13

      Well, to be fair cigarettes, campfires and arson didn't exist either...

    • @Drew-be5dh
      @Drew-be5dh 2 года назад +17

      @@1gorSouz4 most fires are caused from lightning. The intensity of fires are directly related to forest mismanagement.

    • @verticalsorh7124
      @verticalsorh7124 2 года назад +6

      Not to mention theirs literally species of trees that only drop their seeds during forest fires. In fact without the heat the seeds can’t escape the cones.

    • @windblazeanims6253
      @windblazeanims6253 2 года назад

      @sxpr33t It was like 3 in the morning when I typed that bruh I meant white people
      Edit: Wait no I was correct, you don't refer to the Europeans that settled in North America Europeans, since they took over North America that means they're now the ones called North Americans while the original North Americans are now refered to as Aboriginals, First Nations, (etc)

  • @lukelohmann5877
    @lukelohmann5877 2 года назад +764

    Growing up in Australia, "Back Burning" has been done for thousands of years by the Indigenous People of Australia. And is a major strategy of the Australian firefighter forces

    • @earlofsammich6886
      @earlofsammich6886 2 года назад +31

      And as a wildland firefighter it’s one of the more fun parts of our job actually haha

    • @jayus2033
      @jayus2033 2 года назад +1

      And how it that doing for you now 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂🤣😂😂

    • @earlofsammich6886
      @earlofsammich6886 2 года назад +25

      @@jayus2033 actually very good, we back burned to stop many large fires this season

    • @geekswithfeet9137
      @geekswithfeet9137 2 года назад +2

      Thousands of years of burning is why our soil is so poor and drought prone, necessitating more burning.... we need to get more innovative instead of making the problem worse

    • @caimansaurus5564
      @caimansaurus5564 2 года назад +24

      @@geekswithfeet9137 everything i've read about controlled burns indicates that they actually fertilize and enrich the soil. do you have a source?

  • @peterwhite034
    @peterwhite034 2 года назад +467

    Once again, the Native Americans had the right idea

    • @popeo1973
      @popeo1973 2 года назад +3

      Now that something

    • @Nobody-gx2rz
      @Nobody-gx2rz 2 года назад +31

      Our ancestors knowledge of nature is far superior than us (So called modern and intelligent people)

    • @itsmecaldo
      @itsmecaldo 2 года назад +21

      Natives were one with the land

    • @Nobody-gx2rz
      @Nobody-gx2rz 2 года назад +12

      @@itsmecaldo not just US, but worldwide it’s the same case

    • @LisaBeergutHolst
      @LisaBeergutHolst 2 года назад +27

      "Only to the white man was nature a 'wilderness'." ―Luther Standing Bear

  • @Sannidor
    @Sannidor 2 года назад +884

    Many plants have life cycles depending on cyclical fires to release their seeds. Makes you think, huh.

    • @Koevoet19
      @Koevoet19 2 года назад +43

      Sequoia’s for example! Biggest tree’s ever that rely on forest fires to plant themselves

    • @fgsaramago
      @fgsaramago 2 года назад +5

      Not many at all in the overall scheme.

    • @digimonlover1632
      @digimonlover1632 2 года назад +3

      @@fgsaramago How?

    • @AquaPrince27
      @AquaPrince27 2 года назад +4

      @@digimonlover1632 there is less than 10 recorded plants who spread seeds only through fire, its very obvious what the other commenter meant lol how did that confuse you

    • @ligmajobs4686
      @ligmajobs4686 2 года назад +39

      @@AquaPrince27 all desert and dry forest plants have a fire cycle. Every single one. Pinion pine, sage brush, chite grass, ponderosa pine, juniper trees, cedar pine. I could literally name a hundred more. You have no idea what you are talking about. Almost all plants in places where fires are common have a fire start.

  • @terramater
    @terramater 2 года назад +1577

    Awesome video, as always! And "Can we undo the damage" is a really good question!
    The current fire season has broken almost every record in terms of frequency and ferocity. During one of our latest film projects, we also realized that not only the increasingly hot, dry weather has resulted in a longer, more dramatic wildfire season, also bad housing development and fire management are severe problems. Change is needed here if we want to prevent upcoming fires.

    • @Subject91121
      @Subject91121 2 года назад +7

      I thought Forest thinning is a thing

    • @Wasserkaktus
      @Wasserkaktus 2 года назад +6

      Humans planted the seeds of destruction in the Neolithic by wiping out most of the megafauna worldwide, particularly in the Americas. In terms of natural forest management, Megafauna played a key role in consuming and reducing excessive undergrowth, and without them, there is just a whole lot of excessively dry undergrowth which is the perfect kindling for fire.

    • @fgsaramago
      @fgsaramago 2 года назад +4

      @@Subject91121 thinning, raking, cleaning, whatever you want to call it is what's usually done in developed countries. Controlled fires is the lazy way out and incredibly damaging to environment and wildlife

    • @elizabethhenning778
      @elizabethhenning778 2 года назад +4

      @@fgsaramago And you know this how? It might be damaging to timber profit or rural house prices, but neither of those are the environment.

    • @EnigmaticLucas
      @EnigmaticLucas 2 года назад +5

      It's gotten so bad that fire _season_ really only exists on paper since wildfires happen year-round now

  • @Erik_The_Viking
    @Erik_The_Viking 2 года назад +274

    Here in California we have issues with poor fire management, building homes in areas prone to fires, and of course putting laws in place to prevent clearing out potential fire dangers like dead material, weak trees and other fuel sources. Then we complain about why fires are getting worse.

    • @Rock_star1620
      @Rock_star1620 2 года назад +21

      Don’t forget you have selfish residents who ignite these fires on purpose.

    • @LoneWolf1493
      @LoneWolf1493 2 года назад +15

      And then you have folks like the ones running this channel who shift the blame from white-man legislation onto “climate change”

    • @Ren_1312
      @Ren_1312 2 года назад +21

      Also pg&e (a major electric company in most of northern CA) doesn't maintain their power lines. They were responsible for the camp fire.

    • @Erik_The_Viking
      @Erik_The_Viking 2 года назад +5

      @@Ren_1312 Exactly!

    • @talbotmclaws7769
      @talbotmclaws7769 2 года назад +13

      Are we surprised that California, a very 'tree hugger' state, has laws against managing forests?

  • @annex6778
    @annex6778 2 года назад +194

    Fight fire with fire. what a good quote

  • @LimeyLassen
    @LimeyLassen 2 года назад +138

    North America was already civilized for thousands of years. The wilderness wasn't wild, it just looked like it to Europeans who didn't understand, because every ecosystem has a unique character and unique challenges.

    • @LadyScaper
      @LadyScaper 2 года назад +6

      ^ THIS

    • @crazydragy4233
      @crazydragy4233 2 года назад +19

      @HunterBidensCrackPipe One thing is to develop, another to make it unusable :)

    • @kanduyog1182
      @kanduyog1182 2 года назад +11

      @HunterBidensCrackPipe Found the colonizer.

    • @Va11idus
      @Va11idus Год назад

      @@kanduyog1182 calling someone a "colonizer" as an insult has to be the most braindead take ever. "Your ancestors civilization was successful enough to go out and conquer foreign lands and settle them. You should feel embarrassed." Dang. Imagine having agriculture, science, animal husbandry, metallurgy, navigation, seafaring ships, etc. Maybe the people who got colonized should have spent less time killing eachother and more time developing.

  • @DURRYAN
    @DURRYAN 2 года назад +296

    Actually the ash of burnt trees can be nutrients for new trees

    • @MarkusGlesnes
      @MarkusGlesnes 2 года назад +20

      Like how planting a lot of trees isnt super good. You need dead trees aswell.

    • @muhammadwalid8440
      @muhammadwalid8440 2 года назад +22

      Yeah carbon inside soil is good thing

    • @DevSarman
      @DevSarman 2 года назад +17

      And don't forget fungi as well

    • @hedgehog3180
      @hedgehog3180 2 года назад +17

      I mean it literally contains everything that the old tree consisted of except the things that could evaporate which is mostly water and some carbon so obviously it's gonna have everything a new tree will need. Unlike animals plants keep almost everything they absorb for their entire life except Oxygen.

    • @justinfowler2857
      @justinfowler2857 2 года назад +9

      Not only that. I fire sterilizes the soil and burns out weeds that choke out new tree and plant growth.

  • @ajson1232
    @ajson1232 2 года назад +318

    Sometimes you just gotta let Mother Nature take its course she knows what’s good for herself

    • @ip5799
      @ip5799 2 года назад +20

      not when global warming is interrupting

    • @kristian3466
      @kristian3466 2 года назад +39

      Doesn't hurt to give her a hand as long as we know what we're doing, hence prescribed fires

    • @doctorwholover1012
      @doctorwholover1012 2 года назад +15

      Right ? It's almost like the flooding of the banks along the Nile made the ecosystem ripe and fertile for farming and native vegetation, and fires within forests via lightning strike/dry brush fires help the forest clear dead wood and provide seeds with access to the soil !
      It's almost like mother nature....... involves fire and water in the natural processes....... because they ARE natural processes....... 👁👄👁

    • @joycejames8461
      @joycejames8461 2 года назад +7

      Nature's been around a lot longer than us humans, if we stop interfering then things will balance out again.

    • @beef-jerky
      @beef-jerky 2 года назад +7

      Hopefully she burns down all of California so they'll finally realize their mistakes.

  • @crankykransky2979
    @crankykransky2979 2 года назад +62

    Australia also had this problem in the early days of colonization because they stopped the Aboriginal people from backburning.

  • @screamcheeese7175
    @screamcheeese7175 2 года назад +210

    I'm actually glad that the forest service in my area does prescribed burns twice a year, May to June and October to November. And the people here are actually okay with it. Our town has burned down three times (1860s to 1920s), and so we're more at ease when we know there isn't much fuel for a fire to go through.

    • @fgsaramago
      @fgsaramago 2 года назад

      How about cutting it and removing it instead of burning it? I suppose it's cheaper to be lazy...

    • @cattrish5384
      @cattrish5384 2 года назад +39

      @@fgsaramago You probably didn't watch the video. But this also isn't a matter of "picking up branches" and "laziness." Burning these leaf and branch debris also recycles dead matter back into the ecosystem. controlled wildfires also help prevent future fires by prepping trees for these future events

    • @Hexadolf
      @Hexadolf 2 года назад +5

      ​@@cattrish5384 The dude says "Turns out if you don't have an ignition source, you don't have the fire." moving on, nothing worth your time.

    • @byrlink
      @byrlink 2 года назад

      What area, State, Country?

    • @beef-jerky
      @beef-jerky 2 года назад

      Congrats on not living in California!!

  • @oscarnorth7245
    @oscarnorth7245 2 года назад +66

    This is already Australia’s policy, and it really does work. This helps stop fire, and allows us to cope with it.

    • @gardenjoy5223
      @gardenjoy5223 2 года назад +2

      Good for you!

    • @alexm566
      @alexm566 2 года назад +1

      why you were complaining about the 2021 fires then?

  • @sayed2088
    @sayed2088 2 года назад +207

    we should learn more from cultures that learnt important things a long time ago before colonisation changed it all

    • @jurgenparkour9337
      @jurgenparkour9337 2 года назад +42

      @fiery but mostly peaceful what's your point? Vaccines are safe and have saved milions of lives and will save even more in the future

    • @clintstewart5545
      @clintstewart5545 2 года назад +20

      @fiery but mostly peaceful well without vaccines maybe reaching 30 would be like reaching 100 now days

    • @xKuukkelix
      @xKuukkelix 2 года назад +16

      @@jurgenparkour9337 he's just baiting

    • @ok-pn6hg
      @ok-pn6hg 2 года назад +17

      Native Americans were constantly using controlled burning in California to prevent wildfires.

    • @marchwhitlock6455
      @marchwhitlock6455 2 года назад +8

      Guys, just report the anti-vaxxer and move on.

  • @larryjeremiah8250
    @larryjeremiah8250 2 года назад +124

    There's some satisfaction in knowing that there are dire consequences in ignoring and criminalising the ancestral knowledge and practices of The Land.

    • @beef-jerky
      @beef-jerky 2 года назад +2

      It's only criminal in California, it's used by every other continental state.

    • @TotalDrganMania
      @TotalDrganMania 2 года назад +3

      Lot of states do this. I assume this is another California passing poor policy decisions thing

    • @userlog2474
      @userlog2474 2 года назад

      @@TotalDrganMania It's more of a colonialism thing.

    • @Va11idus
      @Va11idus Год назад

      @@userlog2474 no, it's not. When you have people starting fires and burning your land, of course you're going to want them to stop. It has nothing to do with colonialism.

    • @userlog2474
      @userlog2474 Год назад

      @@Va11idus If it had nothing to do with colonialism, it wouldn't be referred to as "your land" in the first place.

  • @krealyesitisbeta5642
    @krealyesitisbeta5642 2 года назад +124

    Native Americans: (Knew this for centuries) “Bruh, these guys are figuring this out now?”

    • @gladiatorz1995
      @gladiatorz1995 2 года назад

      In Australia, we do controlled burns to prevent fires in forests

  • @berghwilliam
    @berghwilliam 2 года назад +269

    Humans when there's a natural phenomenon that allows nature to regenerate: this is bad, let's work together to fix this issue!
    Humans when we cause the issues: *anyways*

    • @waveplay3978
      @waveplay3978 2 года назад +26

      Humans is a bit too general. Native Americans are humans too and they were clearly much smarter about this than the colonizers

    • @berghwilliam
      @berghwilliam 2 года назад +10

      @@waveplay3978 you might be right but I imagine they (as any other human) would fight nature to defend their home.
      It's just that humans in general don't think of consequences very often.

    • @Va11idus
      @Va11idus Год назад +1

      @@waveplay3978 this is not even close to true. I love how these falsehoods permeate our society and there is nothing you can do to correct it because the natives didn't develope writing to keep records.

  • @s1ddh4r7h.p
    @s1ddh4r7h.p 2 года назад +128

    As is a lot of things, it's probably good in moderation

  • @joshuachristofferson9227
    @joshuachristofferson9227 2 года назад +20

    Wow! It's almost like Mother Nature is smarter than us wee humans. How many times have we bested her again?

  • @baltasokolade
    @baltasokolade 2 года назад +146

    When I was a kid, every spring we bored our fields back in Latvia, but last 10 years it has been banned and punishable. This was to encourage growth and fertility for the fields.

    • @NyanGeneral
      @NyanGeneral 2 года назад +3

      given it's latvia, which is so much colder than californiia, burning probably won't (atleast currently and next 10 years) do much help

    • @r1e5p3l7i2c
      @r1e5p3l7i2c 2 года назад +15

      burning fields every year is detrimental and depletes nutrients. It's doesn't have the same speciation advantages as burning a forest once in decade.

    • @nussnougat5462
      @nussnougat5462 2 года назад +10

      Because that is only beneficial to the farmers and not the environment.

    • @kayseek1248
      @kayseek1248 2 года назад

      Boring fields?

    • @latviantrainy968
      @latviantrainy968 2 года назад +2

      Tātad ir latvieši, kuri skatās šo kanālu :D vienmēr domāju, ka esmu vienīgais :DD

  • @Honeybadger_525
    @Honeybadger_525 2 года назад +50

    Vox did a great job explaining this complex topic in layman's terms! It's more important than ever we educate more folks about the importance of "good fires" in helping maintain healthy forest ecosystems, especially here in the western US.

  • @samueldanby
    @samueldanby 2 года назад +48

    Its funny watching this in Australia where this is something talked about all the time :)

    • @sr.liam17
      @sr.liam17 2 года назад +2

      America: Hey guys, we know how to control fires now!
      Australia: woooooow, you just found out, good 4 u. 😒 We have done that for thousands of years.

  • @ulysses3183
    @ulysses3183 2 года назад +140

    I liked how this conversation referenced historical Native American practices. What other common practices do we hold today that are counterintuitive?

    • @32fps
      @32fps 2 года назад +29

      I think the better question is what do we NOT do. The first thing that comes to my mind is dams--rivers naturally flooded and it was actually a good thing that nature dealt with, but when people wanted their not-flood-proof houses to be on rivers, suddenly we had to stop the regular floods.... Which causes worse floods (besides a whole bunch of other issues with rivers' ecosystems)

    • @tibodeclercq2131
      @tibodeclercq2131 2 года назад +1

      That socialism doesn't work is held back a lot

    • @robos3809
      @robos3809 2 года назад +7

      @@tibodeclercq2131 and capitalism does?

    • @beef-jerky
      @beef-jerky 2 года назад +3

      Touting Wind and Solar as Green.
      Trying to stop California from burning down.
      Sending out thousands of Mail-In ballots with no need for ID and then saying the election was secure.
      I could go on.

    • @tibodeclercq2131
      @tibodeclercq2131 2 года назад +1

      @@robos3809 Absolutely! Even North Korea is secretly using capitalism but they do it under the form of forced labor: they send women to tourist spots in Asia, mainlt thailand, they earn money out there but have to give it to th enorth korean government, so they are basically used as slaves by the regime, but they make the money through capitalism.
      Also China is using capitalism.
      Vietnam has also embraced it.
      Richest people and countries are all capitalists (Honest capitalism).

  • @The1theycallghost3030
    @The1theycallghost3030 Год назад +5

    Who else came here after watching the voices are like a fingerprint video

  • @kellygrant3074
    @kellygrant3074 2 года назад +21

    Last year's fire along the Mckenzie river in westernOregon was a tragedy for homeowners and human lives lost, but the result is actually beautiful; revealing the topography of a rugged landscape that was always obscured by trees. The endless miles of fir may give way to a more diverse forest.

  • @Fg795yt
    @Fg795yt Год назад +2

    In Australia We do this as most of are trees use fire to grow more and we know it’s good

  • @LeoStaley
    @LeoStaley 2 года назад +25

    We've known this for at least 25 years. I remember reading a Popular Science article about this as a kid in around 1995.

    • @djntu2964
      @djntu2964 2 года назад +6

      Indigenous people have known this for THOUSANDS of years…

    • @timbushell8640
      @timbushell8640 2 года назад

      @@djntu2964 Along with how to reduce the continent's megafauna...

    • @gardenjoy5223
      @gardenjoy5223 2 года назад

      Where Your personal knowledge becomes the measure of all things known to us...

  • @LTDextel
    @LTDextel 2 года назад +4

    I grew up understanding that controlled burns is the best way to contain a fire. So weird to see that people interpreted all fire as bad.

    • @formoth3rrussia472
      @formoth3rrussia472 2 года назад

      the goverment legit went on a million dollar smear campaign against fire aswell alot of people died and lost there houses to wild fires humans have hated things for less

  • @TeinMustang
    @TeinMustang 2 года назад +3

    Florida has been using prescribed burns for decades with great success. On average over 2 million acres are burned this way in the state every year. It was only recently that I had learned that many state and local governments out west fight the forest service tooth and nail to try to prevent this kind of forest maintenance. It's sad that it's taking this massive loss of life for them to start going down the right track.

  • @martinvaldez327
    @martinvaldez327 2 года назад +2

    Here in Canada, natives use to do this. Once the settlers arrived, they put a ban on this cause they didn't want the beautiful forest burning but what they didn't know is that in order to get that forest, they had to maintain it by burning the forest. And this was back in 1610. Now 98% of that knowledge is gone.

  • @jacksonong2576
    @jacksonong2576 2 года назад +17

    I’m shocked the US hasn’t already adopted this method of fire management! This has been standard practice in Australia for decades?

    • @5frogfrenzy
      @5frogfrenzy 2 года назад +6

      We do, the problem is that home owners are critical of anything happening in their backyard. Even if it saves their homes. "Not in my backyard" is a very prevalent way of thinking over here.

    • @taylorbug9
      @taylorbug9 2 года назад +2

      Don't be shocked anytime there is something to be done you can trust that America will do it the dumbest most ineffective way. This is the American way ever since they stole this land from its rightful (and diligent) owners.

    • @jacksonong2576
      @jacksonong2576 2 года назад

      @@5frogfrenzy back burning isn’t done in peoples backyards though it’s performed in state forests and national parks where there’s large vegetation growth

    • @5frogfrenzy
      @5frogfrenzy 2 года назад +1

      @@jacksonong2576 im not talking about literally in their backyards. "NIMBY" doesnt refer directly to the backyard but to the community. The burning of the surrounding area of a property will often times meet resistance from a community that would benefit from prescribed burns. This is why the forest service doesnt do it often. There are many communities on or near FS land that can stop or dissuade it from doing these burns.

    • @jacksonong2576
      @jacksonong2576 2 года назад +1

      @@5frogfrenzy well when you said backyard that’s what it implied😂 I understand tho! That’s a very selfish way of thinking and it’s no wonder California’s wildfires are intensifying so much each year

  • @mxmissy
    @mxmissy 2 года назад +6

    We have the same thing here in Australia, called backburning. And it's also documented that our first nations people have also done that too, it's called cultural burning. It was discontinued in Australia but recently has been reintroduced. And it's being called in due to the 2019-2020 bushfires we dealt with.

  • @ThePowerRanger
    @ThePowerRanger 2 года назад +3

    Its always frustrating to know that something is done to solve a problem, actually causes/increases the problem.

  • @jwanie366
    @jwanie366 2 года назад +1

    I feel like I learned this a long time ago but just wasn't completely aware of how serious the problem was. Glad that I watched this video!

  • @Yutappy99
    @Yutappy99 2 года назад +13

    Like many things in life, balance is the key.

  • @AnOriginalYouTuber
    @AnOriginalYouTuber 2 года назад +20

    "9 out of 10 fires are started by humans. Only you can prevent forest fires" - Smokey Bear

    • @morteza1024
      @morteza1024 2 года назад +1

      We should have only prevented those 9.

  • @ok-pn6hg
    @ok-pn6hg 2 года назад +32

    You can't espouse environmental protection while causing environmental degredation and retain credibility. The native people know what is best for California. They tended to it like a garden for centuries before the Spanish showed up.

  • @tenapics
    @tenapics Год назад +2

    Here in Spain, forest firefighters are always asking to have a full year contract to take care of the forest the whole year. This is one of the ways they would do to prevent huge fires but politicians only contract them during fire season, making their jobs so much difficult

  • @mwhalfmann
    @mwhalfmann 2 года назад +9

    Forest Service: *starts thinning out a pine tree stand*
    Town: "We and the Sierra Club have come together to STOP you and your destructive ways!"
    Town: "why didnt you do anything to prevent this forest fire that incinerated our homes!!!"

  • @vinceb8041
    @vinceb8041 2 года назад +24

    Ah, the good old US, trying to solve one problem with some intuitive, fast-thought solution and creating 10 new ones in the process. Where have I seen that before?

    • @LimeyLassen
      @LimeyLassen 2 года назад +8

      Like how cane toads were imported to Australia to solve a pest problem. Big oof.

  • @tucosalamanca5818
    @tucosalamanca5818 2 года назад +9

    Australia has been doing this for ages while America is just finding out lol

    • @notwilshire
      @notwilshire 2 года назад +2

      They do this in the Southeast US. People in West US don’t.

    • @hameley12
      @hameley12 2 года назад

      LOL! True, for such a mature and leading country full of "smart men" who like to ignore indigenous women and men. Hundreds of years later "by the way this is our idea" 😂 No! The indigenous people knew better! I am still learning about Native Americans and how to grow some of their medicinal plants at home.

    • @xKuukkelix
      @xKuukkelix 2 года назад

      Same with finland. We've been doing this for a long time

    • @kaavi1391
      @kaavi1391 2 года назад

      @@hameley12 without those ' smart men ' you probably wouldn't be alive today or have internet to write a comment on.

    • @kanduyog1182
      @kanduyog1182 2 года назад

      @@kaavi1391 I think he was being sarcastic about how the "smart men" are just only recently learning stuff that's been common knowledge to Native Americans for hundreds of years with regards to the well being of the environment.

  • @scottfranco1962
    @scottfranco1962 2 года назад +10

    In California, we not only stopped fires, but we stopped logging and virtually put the lumber industry out of business in the name of the environment. Lumber production in CA is 1/6 of what it was in its peak. So now we have way more standing timber with dryer conditions. What is happening to all the trees we saved? You're breathing it now. Good going.

    • @EricHamm
      @EricHamm 2 года назад

      You mean breathing CO2 or O? You seem to be bitter about logging. As far as I know those were done on tree farms not in the areas where there is densely populated neighborhoods. It would be interesting to see a area map of tree farms and compare it to forest fire coverage areas. I would have think FF dwarf logging in terms of tree destruction.

    • @josephwoo69
      @josephwoo69 2 года назад

      Trees are not the problem. Large trees like California redwoods are actually quite fire resistant. Did you even watch the video? The issue is that there’s a huge buildup of excess “fuels” (dead plants, sticks, straw, etc). Chopping down trees and leaving the fuels would only make the issue worse

  • @rubbersidedown5620
    @rubbersidedown5620 2 года назад

    I did a school report on this like 3 decades ago and we still keep making the same mistakes.

  • @jrussell6579
    @jrussell6579 2 года назад +22

    This is literally what Australian indigenous knew. in aus they do back burns.

    • @Arguinghen
      @Arguinghen 2 года назад

      The only problem is that the way the Australian government try to replicate this does not work out.
      Like cmon man, let the professionals do their job.

    • @hedgehog3180
      @hedgehog3180 2 года назад +1

      @@Arguinghen The Australian government is like a mini-US at times but somehow they're even more racist against their indigenous citizens.

  • @calebkrochalk8286
    @calebkrochalk8286 2 года назад +3

    I want to say that I learned about this stuff in middle school. In Minnesota at least, sustainable forestry and controlled burns has reduced the amount of many mega fires. The worst fires usually only happen because of blowdowns.

  • @uniaodemocraticaruralista2924
    @uniaodemocraticaruralista2924 2 года назад +2

    This was uploaded 6 min ago, video is 8 min long and people are commenting without watching the full video

  • @mal9369
    @mal9369 2 года назад +5

    It's so good that were finally listening to native voices when it comes to land stewardship. The knowledge and wisdom they hold is immeasurable and disregarding them for centuries has lead to this country's ruin in many ways. Only by existing in harmony with the natural way of the ecosystem can we ever build a sustainable life

  • @Ledzeppelinfan42
    @Ledzeppelinfan42 2 года назад +44

    Great video but felt like the Indigenous Australians and fire management in Australia should’ve got a mention. Our indigenous people have been back burning thousands of years

    • @32fps
      @32fps 2 года назад +2

      Why? Our indigenous people did it too--they mentioned it in the video--so why also mention Australia? The video is talking about America.

    • @changedpace9169
      @changedpace9169 2 года назад +2

      This is literally about America you dingus

    • @mxmissy
      @mxmissy 2 года назад

      @@32fps Sadly, Australia is known for our bushfires. It would've been nice if they mentioned Australia, sure it's an American company, but it's nice to learn about things outside your backyard.

    • @32fps
      @32fps 2 года назад +8

      @@mxmissy Not trying to knock Australia here, but my point is it's a video about America--specifically in the west--not that's it's by an American company. Vox has done plenty of videos about other countries, but this one was specifically aimed at Americans and our history with it. You say Australia is known for bush fires, but California is also known for large forest fires. I guess my irritation stems from the weird abundance of people acting like Australia NEEDED to be in this video. It didn't. If I did a video about similar weather events--let's say, floods along the Mississippi--and how they're worse now because of dams, development, climate change, etc., and how natives used to allow those areas to flood because it produced better crops but knew not to put their houses along the river, should I expect outrage from every place on earth that this has happened to? If this video was about fires in general, then yeah, they should include Australia, but it wasn't.

    • @poojabajantri1540
      @poojabajantri1540 2 года назад

      I'm actually glad that the forest service in my area does prescribed burns twice a year, May to June and October to November. And the people here are actually okay with it. Our town has burned down three times (1860s to 1920s), and so we're more at ease when we know there isn't much fuel for a fire to go through.

  • @danielthomas3322
    @danielthomas3322 2 года назад +10

    "But decades of suppression have led to a buildup of..." The American Way :')

  • @stillfoufou
    @stillfoufou 2 года назад +1

    So grateful that in Sequoia National Park there have been prescribed fires in the Sequoia grove known as the Giant Forest since the 1960s. Those 60 years of prescribed fires have - so far - saved the trees from the worst of the fire that is happening there now. Yosemite National Park also does prescribed fires. You won't see them in the summer. They happen late fall/winter.

  • @juanelissetche6776
    @juanelissetche6776 2 года назад +1

    I do prescribed burns and this was one of the biggest topics we covered when we talked about the over accumulation of litter and it’s links to wildfires

  • @MoonLiteNite
    @MoonLiteNite 2 года назад +8

    @6:43
    Of that 85%, cigs only cause

  • @mccallanger6734
    @mccallanger6734 2 года назад +8

    THIS. We need to get back healthy, balanced forest environments

  • @stalker2084
    @stalker2084 2 года назад +93

    Vox can literally talk about Arsonists and they can make it scientific and interesting

    • @bri1085
      @bri1085 2 года назад +1

      Arson is interesting, would be more concerning if they couldn't make it interesting

    • @xKuukkelix
      @xKuukkelix 2 года назад +19

      Controlled burning of the forest has nothing to do with arson

    • @fgsaramago
      @fgsaramago 2 года назад

      @@xKuukkelix how not? It's the laziest way of dealing with the problem

    • @domenicocor1185
      @domenicocor1185 2 года назад +2

      @@fgsaramago it's actually way difficult we do it in italy since 2018 and it require a lot of programming, because cities are a lot closer to forest than in the usa and you need to study the species of trees the Bush under them the geology and lastly the weather

    • @fgsaramago
      @fgsaramago 2 года назад

      @@domenicocor1185 here in Portugal we have the air force doing that. Turns out it's actually good training for them.

  • @thebasicbee2098
    @thebasicbee2098 2 года назад +10

    I am sure the title got many of us confused😂

    • @sr.liam17
      @sr.liam17 2 года назад

      Not us Australians!

  • @AshVXmc
    @AshVXmc 2 года назад +20

    Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!

  • @undr_guv_surv
    @undr_guv_surv 2 года назад +4

    The people who took this land had no idea about how to take care of it

    • @ok-pn6hg
      @ok-pn6hg 2 года назад

      Exactly. California was a big garden for the natives before the Spanish showed up.

    • @formoth3rrussia472
      @formoth3rrussia472 2 года назад +1

      they should of held on to there land better then

  • @jamesmorris2010
    @jamesmorris2010 2 года назад +2

    We've heard this same story for 30 years. The problem is changing public policy to actually do it.

  • @zeromailss
    @zeromailss 2 года назад +2

    Excellent animation, it help to understand the concept instead of becoming more confusing

  • @azj_
    @azj_ 2 года назад +16

    Google: How to put out a fire?
    Use water.
    Bing: How to put out a fire?
    Use fire.

  • @branpod
    @branpod 2 года назад +10

    We do controlled burns where I live and hardly ever have actual wildfires. Maybe certain states should learn a thing or two…

    • @MoonLiteNite
      @MoonLiteNite 2 года назад +1

      Same, in central texas, we get a mid size wildfire like every 10 years or so, actually last one was 10 years ago, and that was one huge, before that was like 15?

    • @assumjongkey1383
      @assumjongkey1383 2 года назад

      Well I don't understand what you said

    • @branpod
      @branpod 2 года назад

      @@assumjongkey1383 that is unfortunate

    • @assumjongkey1383
      @assumjongkey1383 2 года назад

      @@branpod can u explain that are you trying to say

    • @branpod
      @branpod 2 года назад +1

      @@assumjongkey1383 the fire department is responsible for starting small, controlled fires in the woods. This allows for pine cones to release their seeds, repopulating the trees. Additionally, burning off the excess brush decreases the chance of wildfires starting and causing real damage. In a world without humans, lightning would be used to regulate forests via fires. But, since wildfires cause harm to us, controlled burns allow for this maintenance without harming people

  • @Robert08010
    @Robert08010 2 года назад +1

    In the Jersey Pines, we see reminders of forest fires all the time. But having learned these lessons, I started looking more objectively at what remains after a forest fire. One area I noticed a fire rolled through quickly and there was very little underbrush. The ground was scorched as were the tree trunks up to about 3 or 4 feet. But the canopy overhear was unaffected and that area looked 100% back to normal in just a few months. Another area that had denser underbrush and so burned slower and much hotter. In that area the fire was hot enough to ignite the trees and so that area was stripped bare. Even 6+ years later, that area is not back to normal. New growth has begun but all the old growth was wiped out.

  • @brostrod
    @brostrod 2 года назад +2

    as a wise man once said:
    "Stopping fires isn't about saving the forest, it's about saving human infrastructure"

  • @joshu1918
    @joshu1918 2 года назад +47

    Environmentalists: We have to stop forest fires!
    Vox: hehe fire go brr

  • @noonesenemy89
    @noonesenemy89 2 года назад +3

    I need to strongly disagree on "fire isn't always a destructive force". It is. That's can be beneficial, if all is balanced.

  • @Matty002
    @Matty002 2 года назад +1

    i remember learning about this in high school in socal, and was confused as to why we werent already doing this

  • @cheryl-lynnmehring8606
    @cheryl-lynnmehring8606 2 года назад

    So informative, I learned a ton as always!!! Not just about fire but indigenous people, plants, & culture! ❤

  • @TheEyrie
    @TheEyrie 2 года назад +10

    Even though I don't live anywhere near a forest, I know that controlled burns are important for their ecology.

  • @rachit-sharma
    @rachit-sharma 2 года назад +3

    Literally the same thing Stossel said. His video's reach was limited by social media...

  • @itsfhproductions5290
    @itsfhproductions5290 2 года назад +1

    People really need to listen, to actually listen, to the indigenous peoples because they have always known best about this

  • @nirreznik8567
    @nirreznik8567 2 года назад

    I Remember seeing a national geographic documentary and one of the explanation to the worsening of forest fires in the usa was due to the suppression of fire changing the age of the trees the majority of the trees after the fire suppressions were young trees that burned much quickly and caused bigger fires.
    It nice to see an additional causes for forest fires in this video.

  • @dysfunctionalisme
    @dysfunctionalisme Год назад +7

    I came over from the Larynx video to watch her say "fahrest"

  • @abdielmoreno-cruz354
    @abdielmoreno-cruz354 2 года назад +9

    This video brings a lot of clarity to the recent fires that have been happening. Unfortunately a majority of the public will still believe “Oh no climate change with forest fires is bad”. They’re not entirely wrong, but it’s common knowledge fire is an element for a reason. Let’s just do our best to push through in a manner that’ll benefit the environment and ourselves as a species

  • @killpy12
    @killpy12 2 года назад

    interesting hearing that there are places still not doing this. lots of pine forest where i grew up, and we learned in school about control burns and how they kept the forest healthy. I just assumed it was a thing the "adults" knew to do wherever there was forest

  • @that1guyyoukno
    @that1guyyoukno 2 года назад

    I remember the 2003 cedar creek fire. I actually woke up because our mountain side was glowing in fire. Had to wake my parents up too. We stayed at grandmas house for months. I feel like it took years for the air quality to improve

  • @donutchan8114
    @donutchan8114 2 года назад +6

    I remember a biology book explaining the process of forest regrowth after a fire, but it took several years of additional information to piece together the need of controlled fires to thin out the brush.
    Wish this had been pieced together sooner by people who could do something about it.

  • @mightymistermike
    @mightymistermike 2 года назад +18

    This is called "The Thanos Strategy"
    Edit: Great. Vox ruined my joke

    • @toshi_btc
      @toshi_btc 2 года назад +2

      freaks are emerging

  • @44BlueFoxes
    @44BlueFoxes 2 года назад

    This was interesting. Thank you for posting!

  • @jhunz23
    @jhunz23 2 года назад +1

    Amazing research. Thank you Vox ❤️

  • @paleoph6168
    @paleoph6168 2 года назад +4

    Can you do a video on rhino dehorning? I think it is worth exploring this controversial topic.

  • @idonotmakevidsyet
    @idonotmakevidsyet 2 года назад +4

    These techniques of controlled burning have been around for thousands of years and was used by Indigenous Americans and Australians. So its not "hundreds of years".

  • @taylorrayburn1078
    @taylorrayburn1078 2 года назад +2

    This is really an out west problem I feel like.
    We have controlled burns all the time in Mississippi.

  • @DaveParr
    @DaveParr 2 года назад +2

    It's true in France too. Fire suppression in France around vineyards gave significantly changed the diversity and success of woodlands in surrounding areas. The fuel build up issue is also true.

  • @ahamed1232002
    @ahamed1232002 2 года назад +3

    I like how Thanos has transitioned to this. Good for him!

  • @l_MIK_l
    @l_MIK_l 2 года назад +3

    Arsonists: No need to thank me🔥

  • @Fasteroid
    @Fasteroid 2 года назад +1

    On a bus tour in Alaska, my tour guide said the exact same things about fires being a natural part of forests.

  • @Tarquin2718
    @Tarquin2718 2 года назад

    Elizabeth Azzuz is so awesome I can't wrap my head around it. Thank you, thank you for your knowledge and commitment.

  • @Kavya194
    @Kavya194 2 года назад +25

    Death is a living process, you are living and dying on the same time, every second you are a little more dead, one day this dying will be completed.

    • @borkwoof696
      @borkwoof696 2 года назад +5

      Wow this is soo deep😯

    • @JamieRambles
      @JamieRambles 2 года назад +1

      Hooray!!

    •  2 года назад

      lol you must be depressed if you think of life this way

    • @Kavya194
      @Kavya194 2 года назад +1

      @ am not depressed bro, life is death, that's why you should only do things those matter. If you say the truth of life depression then ok for you 😂 but am not depressed.
      Meditate bro, meditate, go beyond your physical.

    • @Kavya194
      @Kavya194 2 года назад +1

      @@borkwoof696 that is why my brother, go beyond your physical, physical will fall down atom by atom one day, meditate.

  • @mikeystojsic
    @mikeystojsic 2 года назад +9

    I find it so frustrating that the natives of every country understand the land and yet us whites always think we've come in to take over and somehow know better 🤦🏻‍♂️ it happened here in Australia too.

    • @maxattack3853
      @maxattack3853 2 года назад +4

      While your frustration at colonialism is warranted and we may have lost so many stories and practices that would be helpful, boiling it down to "whites always thinking we know best over indigenous people" misses that colonialism while done by white people, wasn't done by the "whites". It was many separate groups, british, french, spanish, dutch, etc. I feel as though what your saying can lead people to think that just because people are "indigenous" that means they know better. "whites" are natives to different lands too though they have spread out due to colonialism. What I'm trying to say is while native cultures often have a lot of knowledge about places, it's important to still do research.

  • @jdmmg4904
    @jdmmg4904 2 года назад

    Thanks for covering this

  • @wahyu-adji
    @wahyu-adji 2 года назад +2

    thank you for the animation, i finally get it

  • @Ksenija503
    @Ksenija503 2 года назад +6

    I hope that people wont start setting more forest fires after that video

    • @formoth3rrussia472
      @formoth3rrussia472 2 года назад

      what do u mean u hope people wont start forest fires im just trying to do my part with clearing all the stuff so the people that light the forest on fire after me do less damnage

  • @qaixermarwat3938
    @qaixermarwat3938 2 года назад +3

    I was feeling down then the Vox notification showed up 🥳

  • @AzariusR
    @AzariusR 2 года назад

    I can finally state the term *Fight fire with fire* in a literal sense now. Thanks!

  • @raiukos
    @raiukos 2 года назад +2

    I used to work for the Forest Service, and they do this often. Controlled burns clean debris and encourage new vegetation; they know what they're doing.