As the buds come out to blossom and pollen floods the air, spring is undeniably here. Summer is almost here, and for high school seniors the end of an era is oh so painfully close. But, there’s something more subtle and sinister afoot. A danger little recognized and disregarded as other states’ problems. That danger is wildfires, a typically banal and beneficial natural event. As climate change and global warming continue to shift weather patterns globally, wildfires mutate into deadly firestorms capable of destroying vast swaths of greenery and buildings. Whole towns crumble into ash under their wake. Thankfully, Alabama is not going to witness a mega-fire anytime soon. To understand why, one must first know the history of wildfire management in Alabama, and then potential solutions for how the state can protect itself from fire’s fury.
Before colonization, Alabama was an expanse dominated by pine forest, save for the coast. Native American tribes including the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, and several others subsisted on some agriculture with hunting to supplement their diets. To maintain ideal conditions for finding game, Alabama’s Native American tribes conducted controlled burns, setting low-intensity fires to clear space for more plant species and niches where wildlife could meet specific ecological needs. As European colonists settled the state, they pushed out Native Americans and with them routine prescribed burns. Suddenly, a centuries-long practice became a thing of the past, ending a key cycle of death and rebirth from Alabama’s environment. After centuries of burn bans and the domineering presence of Smokey the Bear, the state legislature reconsidered their prohibition on controlled burns. In the 1970s, the state Forestry Commission reinstated the practice, but it was not until 1996 that individual landowners had the right to conduct their own controlled burns. Not long after, wildlife experienced a historical resurgence as the populations of White-Tailed Deer and Wild Turkeys hit record highs.
While the use of prescribed burns is critical to wildfire prevention and management, more precautions must be taken to ensure the state’s safety due to global warming and climate change. As the earth warms because of unnaturally high levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, water evaporates faster and soil becomes more parched. This planetary dehydration can best be seen in the Western United States, as the region experiences the megadrought it has seen in the past 1,200 years according to a report in Nature Climate Change. Consequently, the Western United States has also experienced a record-breaking frequency and magnitude of wildfires. As an example, the Creek fire in 2020 in California burned 594 square miles, which is almost the size of two New York Cities.
Although Alabama is not nearly as water-poor as California, according to a Sierra Club report, the intensity of summer drought will increase by 85%, experience more drought, and yet, precipitation will increase by as little as 10% in each season, but this will be offset by heightened evaporation due to rising temperatures. One of the worst predicted developments for Alabama is 30 more days per year of temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, turning the state into an outdoor oven. The aforementioned warming and drying of Alabama will create an extra 25 days annually with a high risk of wildfire, putting 60% of Alabamians in close proximity to hotbeds of wildfire activity. As a state with a large agricultural and tourism sector that provide 22% and 8% of jobs respectively, both industries where ideal weather is essential, the state is slated to lose $1.2 billion in GDP per year. Though these statistics may appear as an unavoidable existential threat, their impact can be mitigated through better controls for wildfire.
To help solve the impending climate crisis in Alabama, the legislature needs to strengthen fire mitigation programs in the state. First, the Alabama Forestry Commission needs to do more to encourage prescribed burns by private landowners, through an advertising campaign or even reaching out to landowners directly, among other measures. Secondly, Alabama should roll out wildfire education programs such as Firewise, where residents can learn about how to safely respond to a nearby fire and make their homes safer from fire. Lastly, Alabama ought to improve the management of utility poles. Blending into the roadside, utility poles are more than just background noise; they can spark wildfires if knocked over or if a wire becomes exposed. Given how ubiquitous utility poles are throughout the state, this may seem like a daunting task, but it is not. Simple measures such as detection devices on poles and increased utility pole inspection will significantly reduce the threat of utility pole-caused wildfires.
While Alabama’s climate future may seem grim at first, proper coordination between residents, city and county level governments, and utilities will help prevent the state from becoming the next California of wildfires.
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