Jack Hassard: Raking Leaves in the Forest Won’t Stop California’s Mega-Fires
Jack Hassard, a professor of science education, scoffs at Trump’s claim that California could avoid forest fires by raking leaves on the forest floor. The cause of the raging fires, he writes, is climate change. Trump has declared that climate change is a hoax so he can’t admit what scientists agree is a growing environmental crisis.
This interesting post quotes Trump’s exchange with California officials. It’s painful to read because Trump is so clearly stupid.
By the way, Governor Newsom pointed out that the federal government owns 57% of California’s forest. The state owns less than 5%. If Trump wants leaf-raking, he should hire people to do it on federal lands.
From the Sacramento Bee:
Trump ignored the fact that the federal government manages much of the forested land in the West. Of the 33 million acres of forest in California, roughly 57% is owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service or federal Bureau of Land Management, according to a report by the state’s Little Hoover Commission. State and local governments control only 3%, while the rest is private.
Jack Hassard: Raking Leaves in the Forest Won’t Stop California’s Mega-Fires | Diane Ravitch's blog