Clearing California’s landscapes is critical to stopping megablazes. Why is it taking so long?

Climate crisis has upped the ante in the state where progress has been hampered despite a considerable budget allocation

It was already approaching 100F on an early summer afternoon in Calaveras county, California, as six firefighters clad in heavy gear fed bushes and branches into the remote-controlled wood chipper following in their steps.

The men were clearing drying and dying plants from the rustic terrain in this rural area near the Stanislaus national forest, that could otherwise serve as fuel for the next big wildfire.