Burning vegetation intentionally before an unpredictable fire does is the “controlled fire” technique. A very codified practice. Living trees are not burned, but only completely dried out vegetation that can catch fire very quickly, such as ferns, dead branches, leaves.
These are collected, and surrounded by turned up earth forming a demarcation line capable of containing the flames. Outside this limit, near houses and trees, anything likely to burn is removed. All under the supervision of staff equipped with water hoses if necessary.
Practiced by Native Americans, it was banned in 1850 before being authorized again. Around twenty associations dedicated to controlled fires have been created in California in recent years, with an allocated budget. But they are finding it difficult to act because they are seriously lacking in manpower. Between the personnel trained in this technique, the firefighters, the forestry services and also the administration which must organize them, this technique requires a lot of people.
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