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Originally Posted by genuinegirly
ok... just a second...
let's reflect on the nature of the situation.
The coastal sage scrub of SoCal is a fire-adapted plant community. It builds up dead plant material so when the stray spark flies, it can burst into flame immediately. Once burned, it has a variety of methods to regrow quickly - root-sprouting, and more. Seed germination in most of the species found there are enhanced, if not triggered, by the chemicals found in the smoke. This plant community follows a natural cycle of fire and regrowth. Depending upon rain and drought, this cycle - which ends and begins in fire - will take anywhere from 10 to 25 years to complete. Invading species have no chance of surviving, unless they too are fire-adapted. We're an invading species. Are we fire adapted? Why do so many people choose to live in a region where their homes are destined to be burned every 10-25 years? Why aren't these people informed?
Now... should you prosecute a 10 year old kid for starting a fire that could have just as easily started by two dry blades of grass rubbing?
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You beat me to it... in one of my classes, we looked at the horrible forest/fire management practices in that area and even in many national parks, etc... and yeah, there are a LOT more people (including Smokey the Bear) at fault than just a 10 year old. If it area was being managed properly, a kid playing with matches would NOT have started a conflagration of that size.