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Fire departments are testing autonomous drones that fight wildfires before crews even arrive
(www.techspot.com)
this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2026
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I feel like I read a few years back that aggressive suppression of wildfires leads to more and bigger fires.
The fuel piles up and eventually something sets it off, then there's no stopping it.
See a qualified forester for the specific area. There are many different forests and they have different needs so no universal statement can be made.
Most of the forests in north America need regular fires and have been harmed by centuries of white men putting them out. However that means centuries of overgrowth and so starting one now is a too hot fire that isn't helpful either. The great plains need to burn yearly as well.
A proper fire should leave lots of charcoal behind that gets beat into the soil and naturally permanently sequesters tons of carbon. So this is a factor in global warming.
The problem is a few people have money for lawyers and anytime an expert proposes a fire they get a judge to issue an injunction and stop it until it is too late to safely burn. I'm not sure what to do about this but it is something to oppose.
Right but that still doesn't obviate the need to put out fires and keep firefighters safe.
In California national parks, they will start controlled fires on occasion just because fires can be beneficial to growth. The plant debris can block light and stuff, and burning it turns to ash that helps add nutrients back into the soil.
IDK if that's done elsewhere in the country or the world.
There are also plants specifically adapted for wildfires. Sequoias (and I think redwoods) need them to open their cones and they can't propagate in their own leaf litter, they need to be cleared by fire.
There's better/worse times to burn off excess vegetation and get the natural fire cycle restarted. During Santa Anas (hot dry strong winds) and drought, it would be better to quash a small fire quickly before it becomes several enormous ones. Then you could go back after some winter rains and set a controlled burn.
I have a buddy that worked comm's at the remote firefighter camps. He always said this was the biggest issue the smoke jumpers/FF's talked about.
Correct.
Yes, it's been well known, especially in California. Other places around the world are only learning this now apparently due to climate change.