Is lack of land use regulation the cause of the Bastrop, Texas disaster?

[hedgehog]

Looking at the map, i see a relatively new development butted right up against Bastrop State Park. Indeed, the development is on land that should have been included in the park at some point. The park is lauded as the Lost Pines, the westernmost stand of native loblolly pine.

Here's some information on loblolly pine:

The species name, taeda, comes from the Latin word for torch of resinous wood.


"due to its high litter and biomass productivity, loblolly pine is being studied as a possible alternative source for energy."

http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Loblolly_pine/loblpine.htm

Other articles indicate that periodic fire is needed for loblolly stands to survive, otherwise the trees are suceeded and crowded out by hardwoods.

I suspect that the houses that burnt were marketed as sheltered by lovely woods and adjacent to the state park. I doubt anyone mentioned that the houses were built in the midst of a tinder box.

[hedgehog]

1. It gets better:

"The Board also hopes the residents of Tahitian will pass
bonds that would enable us to perform a major upgrade to our
water system. This would allow us to make sure that our water
hydrants perform to their maximum capability in case of fire.
With the end of the drought nowhere in sight, we cannot
afford a major fire in Tahitian Village."

http://www.tahitianvillage.com/newsletter.html

[BeFree]

2. Good point

Nearly all the old existing log cabins were built in huge clearings. And the area was kept clear so that fires could be defended against. Modern cabin builders who build right in the forests will be rebuilding again and again and again.

[Rabblevox]

3. In the west we call it Yellow Pine, but your point is valid...

I'm a former firefighter (California Dept. of Forestry), and I can verify that those bastards burn hot and long and spray sparks fucking everywhere. I can vouch that the four primary causes of wildfires are:

1: People (being careless with cigs, campfires, and other flame sources)

2: People (preventing natural fires that are a part of the cycle, letting brush and waste accumulate)

3: People (through ignorant zoning laws, and building where nothing should be built)

4: Nature (fires happen. They are SUPPOSED to happen. We suppress them too often at our peril).

(edited for content)

[blogslut]

4. Drought

Texas started burning at the end of February this year, in the driest part - the Panhandle. As the rest of the state got parched, it burned too.

[Justyce]

5. A long-term drought, high temps, and winds from TS Lee.

Texas is full of native pines, especially the East Texas piney woods. It'd be impossible to regulate people to not live near them when they're everywhere throughout a huge section of the state. Bastrop was a very pretty town.