VICTOR JOECKS: Why California has wildfires, but Georgia doesn’t

If only what burns in California, stayed in California.

On Monday, a thick haze blanketed the Las Vegas Valley. It wasn’t a dust storm. It was smoke from the Gifford Fire in the Los Padres National Forest in California. It has already burned more than 82,000 acres. As of Tuesday afternoon, it was just 7 percent contained. It has spurred evacuation orders in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties and currently threatens around 800 structures.

While smoke blanketing Las Vegas is unusual, California wildfires aren’t. As I walked briefly in the haze on Monday, I recalled a quiz my high school history teacher gave more than 20 years ago. I missed a question about the major story of the summer. The answer involved California wildfires. Why I remember this, while continually calling my kids by their siblings’ names, is beyond me.

The point is this: Major wildfires in California and other Western states are a regular occurrence. They have been for decades. But it’s rare to hear about a major fire in the Southeast.

Perhaps like me, you once believed this was because Western states have more forests. That would be an easy assumption to make. Trees fill California, Oregon and Washington state, especially compared with the Las Vegas desert.

Leftist politicians, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, often blame global warming. That has become the political equivalent of a child claiming, “The dog ate my homework.” It’s a convenient way to cover up their own failures.

Neither explanation is correct. Around 37 percent of California is forested, according to World Population Review. But that’s a low percentage compared with the Southeast. Around two-thirds of Georgia is forested. In Alabama it’s 71 percent. In Florida, it’s half the state. Yet, in recent decades, those areas haven’t experienced massive fires with the frequency of California.

Look at Georgia to find out why. As of Monday, 1.35 million acres have been burned in Georgia. California’s total is under 300,000 acres. But there’s a big difference in the type of fire.

In Georgia, there have been around 65,000 prescribed burns covering 1.33 million acres. Wildfires have burned fewer than 25,000 acres. In California, this ratio is flipped. It has had only 214 prescribed burns covering under 27,000 acres. In contrast, it’s had more than 260,000 acres burned in wildfires. As the summer heat continues, that number is likely to increase.

Georgia’s forests are better managed. One reason is that most of the forested land in Georgia is privately owned. In California, the federal and state governments control much of it.

Another reason is the acceptance and use of good fire. “You can use prescribed fire to reduce wildfire risk,” the Georgia Forestry Commission states on its website. In contrast, the CAL FIRE burn permits website urges readers to “learn about alternatives to burning.”

Unfortunately, the alternative to controlled burns is massive wildfires.

The Las Vegas sky would be much cleaner if California took lessons from Georgia.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.