For several days here in Georgia there has been a haze in the atmosphere, aside from the heat and humidity. It smells like smoke.

The weather forecast that I read shows poor air quality - particulates.

Often in the past, in July, there is a haze but I figured it was just high humidity.

This time it's different and I'm wondering if the smoke from Canada has made it this far south.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weat...cid=socialshare&ei=7

Wildfires have burned a record amount of area in the Canadian province of British Columbia
Yesterday 7:20 PM

https://www.msn.com/en-us/vide...ocid=socialshare&t=5

Could be. My area has had days here and there that were very hazy from those fires.

When I lived in the northeast I used to bear hunt in northern Quebec. These wildfires were very common and there were large firefighting crews that followed these things. Many times they were at bear camp as a base to stay while working in the brush. Most of the fires were started by lightning.

It's seriously vast wilderness there. Most of the trees are spruce, pine, tamarack. Light up like tinder plus there is a huge amount of dead trees as well as fallen threes which create a thick accumulation of fire friendly build up.

If Canada had listened to Trump and raked the leaves and pine needles out of their forests they wouldn't be burning like this.

How would Don have said it? "Most terrific and beautiful plan ever!"
Maybe.

Several years ago, 10 perhaps, I camped in Jasper Nat'l Park. I noticed vast areas of dead evergreen trees, presumably spruce. All beetle kill. All over the west too - including Alaska. I think that was the prelude to what's happening now, given a warm dry spell, lightening, etc.

Last September, on my return trip from Alaska, The first fires I saw were just north of Jasper City, Alberta. The smoke was just bellowing into the sky - huge plumes, blowing south.

Smoky horizons followed me all the way to Nebraska. I intended to go through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, but turned east after having enough of the smoke. There were wildfires all over the west too.

Sorry, I don’t buy that these fires are global warming. Plenty of evidence that huge wildfires happened well before modern man.

Now is it a result of human acts? Sure.

We’ve prevented the normal cyclical renewal of the forests. We’ve brought invasive species here. We’ve refused to manage our forests to limit/stop catastrophic burns.

We’ve got way more people than ever before, so, of course there is dramatically more human effects to the fires.

I believe modern forestry practices are a failure. Although I do believe in climate change and that man is an influence, I believe there are simple and practical steps that can be taken to mitigate things like massive wildfires. Removing standing dead forests seems to obvious to bring up.

Some places did nothing to 'manage' forests and to this day it is illegal to remove underbrush, etc.

Controlled burns and select timber harvests should have been standard but now there is so much built up debris and dry timber it's too late. When fires happen, they are devastating because of the accumulated fuel out there.

Combine that with homes and developments in these places and it is a disaster when a fire happens.

There is a lot of truth in what Ann says. It’s not the whole story, but true. Smokey Bear was probably a misguided policy.

I saw an ABC report yesterday that showed the predicted path of smoke for today. It extended well down into south GA. And they were right. When we left home this morning for the beach, it was smokey. Luckily for us, it didn’t extend down to the the FL panhandle beaches.

All I see on news is gloom and doom
How about “ Soon fall is coming with clear skies and fresh venison on many tables “
But I don’t hold my breath…

I just watched the local weather report. It is supposed to be very nice 'here' on Saturday. There has been some recent rain so I am hoping the forest mushrooms will show this year. My stock is low.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
I saw an ABC report yesterday that showed the predicted path of smoke for today. It extended well down into south GA. And they were right. When we left home this morning for the beach, it was smokey. Luckily for us, it didn’t extend down to the the FL panhandle beaches.

It's become more hazy here, and the smell of smoke stronger. I don't recall ever seeing this - Canadian smoke in Georgia.

quote:

Originally posted by Bivoj:

How about “ Soon fall is coming with clear skies and fresh venison on many tables “

By the time Fall arrives, September 23, 2023, it maybe will start to cool a bit here. Meanwhile we have two more months of heat.

September is usually dryer here and thus more likely for wildfires. Up North, of course, it's much cooler, much sooner. SE Alaska turns really cool and rainy about the end of August, or used to anyway. Western Canada, BC and the eastern side of the Divide can be frosty by 9/1 with snow sometimes that early. Most campgrounds, Provencial parks, etc., in that region, close by 9/15. Tourism is over.

Regarding venison -- Consider now as the good-old-days. Lots of deer.

But, I read a few days ago that they discovered the first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Georgia. It's in most states already. Soon it will be nationwide.

I suspect the last place in the US to NOT have the disease will be in SE Alaska - The Sitka Blacktail deer.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weat...4691b22c74a91c&ei=30

Late Summer, Early Fall Temperature Outlook Shows Where Heat Could Linger
Story by Chris Dolce • 4h ago