The assumption that forest fires are a part of a "natural cycle" is partly wrong, says Michael Lind, and offers a solution for preventing forest fires that endanger homes and lives.
"Most of us assume that these giant conflagrations, often started by lightning, are a normal part of the natural cycle. That's partly true -- and partly wrong.The worst fires tend to occur where enormous amounts of dead tinder have accumulated in thick stands of trees. In much of the American West, neither the trees nor the tinder are "natural." They are there because something else is missing. That something is the buffalo....It is time to stop the century-long conversion of former buffalo country to forest -- and of that forest into firewood."
Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan
FULL STORY: Opinion: Bring Back Buffalo Herds to Prevent Fires

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

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The USDA indicated it plans to repeal the ‘Roadless Rule,’ a Clinton-era regulation that prevents new road-building in undeveloped federal forest areas.

Judge Reverses Federal Funding Freeze for EV Infrastructure
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, a $5 billion program aimed at improving charging infrastructure.
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