[sarbar]

A few thoughts (fair warning, it's all over the board) https://www.purpleair.com/map#8.64/47.8571/-122.1691 We are the one in Freeland, Wa We run it because we use it for our mapping for our farm. Why? Crappy air quality seriously affects solar power. Crappy air quality leads to less direct sun as well - and yes, plants are affected by it. Also, our youngest son has asthma. So when it goes above "x", out comes his specialized face mask and the windows are shut, and we run the heat pump for AC. Then we enter the realm of "thinning". Years ago I was a typical tree hugging idiot who thought I needed to save every tree. Yesterday I watched yet another 80 foot Hemlock fall. And my only thought was that it was a clean fall. And what a fine job Kirk had done. When we bought our homestead this year, we knew we were buying land that needed help. Well, how much help we didn't quite understand how much. 2 chainsaws, a tractor and a grapple later....and a commercial chipper....and a property walk through by FireWise and DNR - I finally understood why thinning is so important. For every 10 trees on our land, only 1 should remain. We have been working at this for the last 4 months and have barely dented it. Forests are VERY unhealthy in the PNW due to lack of stewardship on them. I don't want our land to be part of the issue of forest fires - we want ours to be the piece that DNR either saves or says "They are ready for it". The downside is now when I drive places and look at forests, all I see is a fire waiting to happen.

[Ski]

[AlpineRose]

Lordy, how on earth did forests survive or otherwise stay "healthy" before hoomans came along to (supposedly) help them??

[Ski]