California Wildfires and resulting smoke

[PDiddyDank]

You’ve got to get netting if you live around the Bay Area. I learned that two years ago after losing a beautiful plant to bud worms. Unlike PDiddyDank I also use BT on my plants and I’ll keep right on using it until I feel it’s getting close to harvest.

Davmalk, is there any reason to use both? Other than just being extra cautious?

 

[Davmalk]

Just being extra cautious. I had the netting for a year now so I thought why not put it in play and see what happens. I mean we all put a lot into our plants and when a little ass worm(s) comes in and ruins it all its kind of sad.

 

[Erbski]

I guess i was asking this...i was told that the burned down areas they build homes on. Even if no homes existed in the burned down areas. Is thisvtrue anywhere in cali?

 

[PDiddyDank]

Washing my buds today and you can see the ash and dirt that was on my plants. 1st wash bucket is the worst, followed by 2 rinse buckets that are cleaner. Definitely a good idea folks to wash your buds that have been outside!

 

[Lockedin]

I guess i was asking this...i was told that the burned down areas they build homes on. Even if no homes existed in the burned down areas. Is thisvtrue anywhere in cali?

Depends.
I'm a SoCal native. Out here dry winds, single digit humidity, fires & mudslides are what other regions call "Autumn".
While your leaves turn orange - our mountains and hills do.

Historically we're fire prone. In 1834, Richard Henry Dana recorded in "Two Years Before the Mast" that Santa Barbara's mountains had been scarred by a massive wildfire.
Since the '70s I remember every Fall as "fire season". Almost every year my area catches fire; a couple times per decade it burns from the 101 to the beach (Green Meadow, Springs & Thomas). Every now & then - the whole state goes up. I live in a safe area now, but the view can be grim.

This region is always tinder dry, that explains why Californians freak out when people toss cigarette butts without putting them out (Springs Fire).

To answer your question - depends. Depends if you have enough money to grease the right palms for the right signatures.
So yes, contractors and rich individuals are given permission to build in known hazard areas.

 

[Lockedin]

Too late to edit the above post.

This got me curious, a lot of us here have been against these construction practices you mentioned for decades - and now that the danger is realized; they blame the climate.
Even if they're right - what made them think it wise to build big tracts of homes on a spot that has been reduced to ash 4 times in 3 decades? Pure hubris.

I spoke with a friend who owns in the Malibu Canyon area - they had to sign documents acknowledging that they are aware of the fire danger before closing escrow. He also mentioned that fire insurance is about triple (if it's available) for the same reason. It's not a surprise that most homeowners in the canyons are either uber-rich locals with multiple homes, or transplants that have no idea that the former owner sold because last year the house almost burned, almost slid down the hill, and Ca & LA County taxes are insane.

Personally, we would never own in that area - even if I had $4,000,000 for a 2,0000sq ft house on less than an acre of dry tinder and neighbors very close on both sides just doesn't appeal.
Too many hazards - annual fires, mudslides, taxes, kids fucking in cars on your driveway, wannabe rally racers on the canyon roads tailgating behind you while a rental van full of tourists is in front driving 2 miles per hour because they're terrified --- oops; some of those are memories...

Anyway - if we hadn't grown up here, we'd probably leave.