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Wildfire measurements

Nearly 1,000 firefighters in Portugal have been scrambling to contain a wildfire that has raged for four days and forced the evacuation of about 1,400 people as it spreads towards the Algarve, one of the country’s top tourist destinations.

That’s out in the boonies.

Wildfire that erupted in Odemira on Saturday has scorched thousands of hectares and forced evacuation of 1,400 people

Population density – including the villages – of less than one person per hectare?

Boonies.

As BiS says, an absence of goats.

BTW, yes, I do know the area. Right boonies. When they say “Algaarve” they mean getting within 20km of the border of the province which is itself 30 km from the beaches and towns. It’s like saying there’s a problem in Bristol and this might affect civilisation.

12 thoughts on “Wildfire measurements”

  1. And a lot of the seeds won’t germinate unless scorched by fire. I note that Mediterranean flora evolved long before modern people were even a glint in homo habilis’s eye.

  2. It’s sometimes hard to know where the hysteria ends and the lies begin. Of course the lying hysterics who write this sort of thing don’t know either. British newsrooms must be full of quivering, shrieking lunatics.

  3. ‘Ere… I’ll have you know that Bristol is the cradle of civilization…. especially the blue supporting bit.

    #UTG

  4. If you want to know what the Algaaarve looks like, watch The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. (yeah, I know it was filmed in Spain, but that’s what it looks like)

  5. ‘filled with highly flammable pine and eucalyptus trees.’

    Well at least the eucalyptus would come from Oz. And I do wonder if the pine is native to the area.

    Have they been ‘rewilding’ the place, and thus providing more fuel for bushfires? Though I’d certainly agree with BiS about the goats.

  6. Wonky Moral Compass

    I imagine that the Eucalyptus, at least, will be carefully managed as they’ll be using it as feed for the pulp mills. If they weren’t the various certifying and environmental groups would be kicking up a stink.

  7. You’re not serious are you, jgh? The film was shot in the Desierta de Tavernas, Europe’s only desert. To me, the Algarve always looks a bit like S.W. France. The Atlantic influence I suppose. Starts looking like that once you get to Tarifa still in Spain. And the road furniture & markings are a bit more French than Spanish. Always amuses me how the two countries try to pretend the other doesn’t exist. My limited Spanish ceases to be of use exactly at the frontier. Thank heaven for Brasilians! Generally, Spanish maps show an empty land to the west.
    Apart from that, a 720 hole golf course with a few towns scattered across it.

  8. Incidentally, it’s not just the missing goats. This part of the world, people wouldn’t generally have much vegetation growing in proximity to buildings. Fire risk. And land was for producing food not decorations. But forriners. They’ve brought their Northern style down here. And to an extent, the locals have aped the monkeys. Increased prosperity. So now you’ve got tree shaded gardens & hedges & whatnot. So when you do get a burn-off it burns right up to the buildings & takes them with it.

  9. “Shiney

    ‘Ere… I’ll have you know that Bristol is the cradle of civilization…”

    Quite right. The Southville area in particular. Within walking distance of both the city centre and Ashton Court.

    It’s not all good though. North Street, once the home of stout working class shops such as butchers, betting shops, pubs and hardware stores is under attack from coffee shops where you can get a skinny free range organic goat’s milk latte

  10. Wonky Moral Compass
    Eucalyptus love fire.Fire is the principal reason they came over the last hundred thousand years to dominate the southern and eastern areas of Australia that are wet enough most of the time but dry enough every now and again to have fire as a defining characteristic of country.

    Eucalyptus and their fire loving Allies were well managed prior to 1788.
    Typically ” park like” : well spaced big old trees and on the ground a carpet of long-lived deep rooted herbs grasses .
    This was not natural rather it was the result of constant active (and skillful )management.
    I’d be a bit surprised if Eucalyptus in Spain were managed like that.

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