Living here is getting increasingly depressing.
This year rainfall was only about 45% of average. The more the landscape dries out and burns, the more difficult it is for it to retain moisture that does fall. It’s a vicious cycle. Some forested areas that have burned may become grasslands and will not return to their forested state.
Last year 4 million acres burned, an all-time record. This year we’re on track to come in second place. It’s now normal for months of California having the worst air quality in the country during the summer and fall.
The drier and warmer the climate, the smaller the window for prescribed burns.
Everywhere I go, I see a lot of dead and dying trees. Even “drought tolerant” plants can only tolerate so much.
I don’t see anything getting better any time soon.