Fact Checking Partisan Claims That California Mismanages Its Forests

The current wildfire season in California has received attention and criticism from the president. The AP fact checked the president’s criticisms and finds them false or irrelevant and thus misplaced.

The president: “Every year, as the fire’s rage & California burns, it is the same thing - and then he (Newsom) comes to the Federal Government for $$$ help. No more. Get your act together Governor. You don’t see close to the level of burn in other states.”

The facts: The president's claim is false. Far fewer acres burn in California than Alaska and other areas. Roughly 266,000 acres (108,000 hectares) burned in California, while 2.57 million acres (1.04 million hectares) burned in Alaska this year, more than nine times the California tally so far. That is based on statistics from the National Interagency Fire Center. Also, the Great Basin area and Southern and Southwestern regions have all had fires that covered more than 440,000 acres (180,000 hectares) in 2019.

The president: “The Governor of California, @GavinNewsom, has done a terrible job of forest management. I told him from the first day we met he must ‘clean’ his forest floors, regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him. Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers.”

The facts: The president's claim is false. California has 33 million acres (13.3 million hectares) of forest land, with 57% owned and managed by the federal government, 40% by private landowners and 3% by the state. That data is according to governor Newsom’s office, Forest Unlimited and the University of California’s Forest Research and Outreach center. In addition, many of the fires are not in forests but are in areas of shrub, agricultural areas and grasslands. In those areas, forest management is not an issue, according to University of Alberta fire expert Mike Flannigan. Clearing debris in those areas would be of little use.

The president: “Also, open up the ridiculously closed water lanes coming down from the North. Don’t pour it out into the Pacific Ocean. Should be done immediately. California desperately needs water, and you can have it now!”

The facts: Trump’s point is irrelevant to battling wildfires. According to LeRoy Westerling, a fire expert at the University of California, Merced, “Fire suppression is not limited in any way by the availability of water.” Westerling mused, “How does President Trump propose that these waters be used to reduce fire risk? Is he proposing to build a statewide sprinkler system with federal money?”

By now, there is no basis to believe that the president has any significant concern about facts and truths. He shows no overt or detectable concern for being accurate in attacking whoever he dislikes. This is yet more evidence of his contempt for facts and truths.