Another thing we can do is outlaw homes encroaching into wild areas. It is beyond time that maximizing the global forested acreage became a priority. All well and good for us to tut tut at the Amazon, but we are doing the sale thing by giving people massive carbon-belching 5,000 square foot nightmares in what used to be carbon sinks, so that they can pretend they’re living in a natural setting. Nothing natural about modern toxic building materials (Tyvek is forever) or three-car garages, an RV, an ATV, personal watercraft, fire pit, and a 60-mile daily commute. Not only are these things counterproductive in a warming world, they’re first in the path of wildfires. I’d say let them burn, but the smoke of a burning 100-inch flat screen and Xbox is so toxic, it should be headed off long before the first spark.

So, just a reminder, you wrote much the same thing last year. Early in the year there was a drought, and that lead one of your writers to conclude -- without any supporting evidence -- that it meant that we had a high chance of a bad fire year. Sure enough, it didn't happen.

That is because it really doesn't matter that much what happens before July. The months that are important for fires are July, August and September. Those are the months when we typically have the big thunderstorms and the snow has melted.

There are exceptions. The recent thunderstorms that occurred in late May could have caused some early fires last year. But it is unusual to have both an early season drought and an early season set of big thunder storms. This didn't happen this year or last.

As for this year, Cliff Mass has evidence about this very subject on his blog today. As he wrote, "there is no reason at this point to expect an unusual wildfire season over Washington State this summer". https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-upcoming-wildfire-season-near.html. So, once again, you are crying wolf.

The only thing that will be unusual is how it will be fought. It is quite possible that crews will not be able to protect property or draw fire lines the way they did in the past, as the pandemic makes it difficult for them to do so safely.