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> Not because pine trees, which have been around for a long time, and have never burned so badly. Are you sure? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949_Landes_fore

> Not because pine trees, which have been around for a long time, and have never burned so badly. Are you sure? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949_Landes_forest_fire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949_Landes_forest_fire

reco98gg 2mo ago
I responded to this elsewhere on this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49065156 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49065156 Basically they had no way to fight those fires at the time, as the article explains.
- applepearlime 2mo ago
  I can't say that I buy your argument. Either way, firebreaks and green firebreaks seem like they could be a reasonable mitigation approach, whatever the overall causes. Does anyone here know whether the Landes forest has good firebreaks? If not, does anyone here know why? I failed to find anything about it online.
  - cindyllm 2mo ago
    [dead]
  - gabaix 2mo ago
    I grew up there. I used to bike along stretches of firebreaks between plots. These firebreaks are nowhere nearly enough. Trees are young, pine needles spread everywhere, and ground is sandy. The forest is a giant tinderbox.
- reco98gg 2mo ago
  [Answering here to @applepearlime bc limits of my green acct] They do have firebreaks, paths for trucks to go in many places [1]. I've seen many. But you could argue they're not wide enough to actually break fire. And when I see videos of how tall and wide the flames are, I have no idea how wide they should be... It's a managed forest though, definitely looked after because economics interests (wood, tourism). [1] https://cnes.fr/geoimage/aquitaine-littoral-landais-massif-forestier-espaces-cours-de-recomposition-confrontes-aux-enjeux https://cnes.fr/geoimage/aquitaine-littoral-landais-massif-f...
  - bigfatkitten 2mo ago
    > And when I see videos of how tall and wide the flames are, I have no idea how wide they should be... Up to 40km, depending on the wind. Embers can travel a long way.
Arodex 2mo ago
You know this was once, 77 years ago?

reco98gg 2mo ago

I responded to this elsewhere on this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49065156 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49065156 Basically they had no way to fight those fires at the time, as the article explains.

applepearlime 2mo ago
I can't say that I buy your argument. Either way, firebreaks and green firebreaks seem like they could be a reasonable mitigation approach, whatever the overall causes. Does anyone here know whether the Landes forest has good firebreaks? If not, does anyone here know why? I failed to find anything about it online.
- cindyllm 2mo ago
  [dead]
- gabaix 2mo ago
  I grew up there. I used to bike along stretches of firebreaks between plots. These firebreaks are nowhere nearly enough. Trees are young, pine needles spread everywhere, and ground is sandy. The forest is a giant tinderbox.
reco98gg 2mo ago
[Answering here to @applepearlime bc limits of my green acct] They do have firebreaks, paths for trucks to go in many places [1]. I've seen many. But you could argue they're not wide enough to actually break fire. And when I see videos of how tall and wide the flames are, I have no idea how wide they should be... It's a managed forest though, definitely looked after because economics interests (wood, tourism). [1] https://cnes.fr/geoimage/aquitaine-littoral-landais-massif-forestier-espaces-cours-de-recomposition-confrontes-aux-enjeux https://cnes.fr/geoimage/aquitaine-littoral-landais-massif-f...
- bigfatkitten 2mo ago
  > And when I see videos of how tall and wide the flames are, I have no idea how wide they should be... Up to 40km, depending on the wind. Embers can travel a long way.

Arodex 2mo ago

You know this was once, 77 years ago?