On 7/10/16 PDT 1:34 AM, Eric Stevens wrote:
On Sun, 10 Jul 2016 02:46:23 -0400, "J. Clarke"

Unless they are totally charred the California Live Oaks are pretty
resilient. They don't burn like conifers which are loaded with fuel.

Depends on the conifer. Some conifers are pyrophytic--they need fire to
reproduce.

All that suggests that fires are part of the natural cycle. In which
case its better to have more frequent and smaller than to let the fuel
accumulate to feed larger fires. This is much the same as fires in
Australia. Fires are natural and we have to live with them. Putting
them off and letting the fuel burden accumulate just makes for bigger
fires when they inevitably occur.

The US Forest Service subscribes to that knowledge, at least in some
areas. Carrying it out, though, is another matter. Some people freak
out at the thought of any flame anywhere. Plus those damn trees we
imported from down under are very flammable when dry.