Royal Arches Rockfall: Ahwanee Hotel in Yosemite Evacuated

I'm beginning to wonder, as an old timer who watched wildfires in the West be put out by volunteers in less than a day or two in years past without all these chemicals that are now used, if some of these fires aren't being purposely set in the West and Southwest in order to protect our free trade agreements for Canadian lumber, and also drive up the cost of building materials in the process.

And gain California a little extra of the U.S. taxpayer's taxs monies in the process, and the chemical companies another huge government contract.

These repetitive fires, and controlled burns actually damage more forested acres and the ash content in the soil now prevents new growth from happening for literally decades later.

And just why are we having controlled burns anyway, rather than simply clearcutting some of those forests, and putting that timber and lumber then up for bids for the citizens, since the citizens actually own the National Parks, not the governement, at all.