Sunday, September 22, 2013

Into the Wildfire, what science is learning about fire and how to live with it.


Tullis, Paul. "Into the Wildfire." Www.nytimes.com. N.p., 13 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/magazine/into-the-wildfire.html?ref=earth&_r=0>.

 

            Lassen Volcanic National Park, in Northern California, has more than 100,000 acres of wilderness and woodlands surrounding Lassen Peak, a volcanic area that blew in 1915, when found out it was an active volcano. In the park, lack of water due to the droughts dehydrates the woodlands. On July 23, 2012 smoke was spotted coming from the park and a wildfire had occurred, burning up a large portion of the park. Since the fire was up towards the mountain approximately  7,100 feet above sea level, the fire wouldn’t spread that much, but it would be a challenge to stop it. Another problem is that scientists don’t know when or where the fire will spread to, and how long it will take before it burns out by itself, or if firefighters have to step in and try to take it out, which costs a lot of the government money. Scientists are now trying to invent a way to "see into the future" as to when a fire might possibly occur. Although this is a good idea, it may not work because although nature is a key element to wild fires, so are the people who illegally start fires in the woods while camping, and don’t put it out correctly which starts a wild fire that has to telling where it could spread.

            This effects humanity because the more woodland that is burned down, the more animals there are that don’t have a home, or the more animals that are killed which could soon lead to extinction. Also, scientists studied that the more people that build houses into the woodlands, the more danger they put themselves in. If people keep building into the woodlands, and a wild fire starts, the more likely they are of getting g hurt, or their belongings getting destroyed.

            This article was very well written and I liked how the author backed up the article by stories and statistics that proved the cause and effects of wild fires. I also liked how he got opinions from multiple scientists that tied into the wildfire topic, and explained what they were and causes etc One thing I would have liked to see in the article is the author incorporate personal options on the topic. Also, I would have liked for the author to incorporate stories from further back in time then just from 2009. Other than that, this article taught me that there are all different kinds of wildfires and they are all caused by different things, and that if they continue to happen, woodlands and wildlife will soon come to extinction.

 

 

 

12 comments:

  1. Allison has a really good introduction, because it let's the reader know where it is taking place, how big the area is, and what is surrounding it. I also love how she told us the history of the area, and then she goes on and tells us a recent event that happened in this area. As an overall review i really liked it, because it was full of information and very descriptive and had lots of details and important facts for the reader to know.

    There are two ways i feel that she could have improved the review, even though it was very well written, but she could have included the title of the article and the author somewhere in the first paragraph so we know who wrote it and what it was called, just incase the reader wanted to search up the article so they could read more about it. And another thing i thought she could have improved on is when she was talking about how this affects humanity i think there is a lot of detail there but maybe she could have added some more.

    Before i read this review about the article, "Into the Wildfire", i didn't know how much the wildfires can affect the animals and their homes, and i didn't realize how it can affect us, by us building houses into the woodlands.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think Allison has done a great job in summarizing the article, “Into the Wildfire.” She has made it informative but at the same time not boring. I enjoyed how she incorporated the history of the area so readers could understand that these wildfires are not a new issue. She also did a really nice job in describing the new issues with these fires and then went on to say what was going to happen in the future.

    I do believe this review is well written, but there are some flaws. Such as, not having the title and the authors name in the first paragraph. The purpose of that would be so the reader can know what they read and whom it was by. I would even include where the author worked. As I said earlier it was not a boring review but I personally would have liked it if she added her own thoughts on the matter. Maybe what she thinks of all the animal’s homes getting destroyed by these fires?

    From the article review, “Into the Wildfires” I have learned how serious these fires can be. Many people blame these life-wrecking fires on climate change but the truth is humans cause a great percentage of them. These fires are killing animals, which could lead to some species being extinct. These fires are a big problem and we should not handle them lightly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This review was very well written in most aspect and was very interesting to read. One thing the author did very well in her review was to give a good amount of background information on the park and forest fire, just enough for us to know where and when this happened. The author also did an exquisite job in giving very specific details such as the exact date of the forest fire. Finally, the author did a very good job at tying the information about the forest fire to common real world problems and showing how people could affect the amount of forest fires caused every year. She really did a splendid job in simplifying the information and making it very basic and very easily understandable by just talking about the necessary parts of the article.
    One thing the author could have done better at is making the tenses the same while talking about the same subject. The author went from past to present while still talking about a forest fire that happened a year ago, which was very confusing because it seemed to lead into the next part of the paragraph and morphing the past and present together. This brings me to my next point; another part of the review that could have been made better was the transition from one thought to another. There was a lack of transition words which made it difficult to follow.
    Before Allison pointed this out, I was really oblivious to fact that wildfires actually cost a lot of money and consume a lot of resources to put out. I was arrogant to the fact and I wish Alison gave more information on this like how much it actually costs to put out a full blown forest fire.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was very impressed on how Allison wrote this review. She included a lot of information on how forest fires start. I think that this is an important thing to know, especially for people that live in places where wildfires occur frequently. Also, I liked how Allison gave her personal opinion on what is happening with this topic. She brought up the thought of how many animals are killed from forest fires, while many people tend to think first about the homes are destroyed. Although the life of humans is very, very important in these situations, it is nice to know that Allison was thinking about the other living things that live in these areas. Another thing that I liked was that Allison brought a topic that is very big these days and has a lot of information, and brought it down to an easy-to-understand summary of what is happening in our country with forest fires.
    One thing that I think Allison could have improved on was eliminating the use of run-on sentences. Some of her statements had a lot of "and"s and commas in them. If she had separated the sentences more, I think the review would have been easier to read. I also would have liked to know more statistics from the fire she discussed and from previous fires. I think that numbers and percentages can catch the attention of the reader.
    I was really impressed about how Allison made me realize how significant these fires are. Although I live on the opposite side of the country from where most forest fires occur, Allison's review brought me to realize that this is really affecting the environment of our country. I never really thought about how much damage wildfires can do, but now I realize how important it is to find a way to stop these disasters from happening.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think that Allison’s report was nicely put together and easy to read. She included a lot of information on forest fires that I was previously unaware of, and it was interesting to learn about this topic. I liked how Allison included accurate and specific dates and details, such as when Lassen Peak erupted and the date people spotted it. Also, she included the height of the mountain and specific details about the conditions in the surrounding area. I really liked how Allison incorporated her own opinion into this report. It shows that she cares about the topic she was researching and understands it very well. The article was also well put together and easy to understand. The summary was clear and concise and helped me to understand the topic as a whole.

    Allison’s article was good, but there were a few things that could make it better. She could have included more detail about what people are trying to do to evacuate sites around the fires and how people are preparing for wildfires in the future. Also, she could have added information about how people are trying to prevent these fires. Another thing that could have improved this article is added detail to the effects on humanity. Allison could have included information on how conditions are worsening because of these fires and how humans and animals are affected.

    Lastly, before I read this article review, I wasn’t aware of the wildfires that are occurring and in that area and how much damage they were causing. This article brought the subject to my attention and makes me want to help people and areas affected by these disasters.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Allison included some great details in her review. She explained what happened with the wildfires and why it is hazardous to us. She also explained that people were careless while camping which also caused these wildfires. Allison gave a great personal opinion at the end of the review. She gave the author some constructive criticism and also explained what she liked about the article. She was also very specific with her information which made it easy for the reader to understand what she is trying to tell us. Added on to this she used words that made it an easy read which led to it being a understandable review that we could relate to.
    In Allison's review she could have used some better grammar. At some points in her review she used run on sentences that could have been split up into smaller individual sentences. Also some words she used were not needed and if she took them out it would make her writing more sharp. A second thing Allison could have done better is not repeat information as much. Sometimes she would repeat the same sentence just in a different form. If she removed those repeated thoughts it would help the reader think about the fact not how we have already read it.
    Before I read this review I had no idea that these wildfires are happening. Now that I know I will be more conscientious about the decisions I make when out in the woods and what I place down in dry places. Allison helped me learn these new things and I am glad I know now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think that Allison did an extraordinary job at giving a summary of this article. I think she did such a good job because she narrowed the article down to its few key elements, and she didn't make it run on too long. I think she did a very good job at explaining how dangerous wildfires can truly be. Also, she included her personal feelings toward the author, this article and the topic itself.
    I think that there were only a few things wrong with Allison's review, like how it has a grammatical error every now and there. There were also a few times when she could have cut some sentences and basically just take the main idea. I think another large flaw in this writing is that she should have included the title and author somewhere in the first paragraph just a as a reference for the reader.
    One thing that i learned in this article that impressed me is how often these wildfires are happening and how dangerous they really are. Before reading this, I have barely heard about wildfires, and I basically thought of them as a "once in a long while" type thing that you don't hear too much about, so I just assumed that they weren't so common and dangerous.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think that Allison did a really good job on explaining this article and giving her feedback on it. She gave good detail in her review. She explained where everything was taking place and told us how the fires started. She also told some effects that were caused because of the wildfires, and that made me more concerned, and gave me more knowledge about what was happening. Another good think Allison did was that she gave enough information in her article, so that the reader would not feel confused, and would have an idea about what the writer is saying. One more thing that she did well was that she gave some good examples on what the author should do to make the article a bit more interesting or more knowledgeable.
    Although her article was well written, I do think that there are two things that she could do to make the article even better. One thing is that she repeated a few things in the second paragraph about the effects that are happening to the animals and people. If the phrases get too repetitive then the reader gets a little confused, and then it is not that clear. One more thing that Allison could have done which is better is that she could maybe give more statistics, for example how many fires have happened till now, which would really catch the reader’s attention.
    Before reading Allison’s article, I had no idea about these wildfires. I find it sad, how the animals and humans are also getting affected because of these fires. I think that this is a very interesting article and I am glad I know about these fires now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think that Allison’s summary was very good, and I believe that she understood it very well because she was able to put it into everyday language to make it easier for the reader to understand. One thing that I liked about Allison’s summery was that she gave specific details on the area that the fire took place, and specific dates and statistics. Another thing I liked was how Allison showed how the wildfires aren’t only affecting the woodlands, but also humanity; making a connection from the problem to the people. Finally, I liked how she explained the causes of wildfires, because it helps the reader understand that they aren’t always natural, but sometimes caused by humans.
    Although this summary was very well-written, there were a few recommendations that I have. Firstly, I would recommend adding more details on what exactly the idea that the scientists had on “seeing into the future.” How would it work? What would be used? The other thing I thought would be helpful would be to add whether the scientists will be able to predict naturally occurring wildfires, because obviously they cannot predict something caused by man.
    From this review, I learned how wildfires aren’t only destroying our forests but also destroying the people’s lives who live near forests and their belongings too. Also the wildfires affect the animals because their habitats get destroyed, and then the animals can become endangered or become extinct. Overall, I thought the review was very well written, and I learned a lot from it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think Allison had a good introduction because it had a short story that drew the reader in and made it interesting. Another thing Allison did well was that she explained the article with great detail and told you exactly what was happening with the wildfires. I also think Allison made the review interesting by leaving a question as to whether or not scientists can predict wildfires, which is something to think about.

    Allison could have done a better job giving background information on the wildfires and where they mostly occur and how they are usually stopped. Another thing she could have done was emphasize the threat wildfires have to people and better explained how these fires effect peoples’ lives.

    Finally, one interesting thing I learned from Allison’s review was how scientists are now going to try to predict where the fires will burn next.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think Allison did a good job on this summary. One thing that Allison did very well was that her first paragraph or introduction was very well written and it all flowed together. Another thing she did well was how she explains what the event is how it has transpired to happen. Finally I think that Allison also did a really good job incorporating the scientist theory to predict when, how and why wildfires occur and what not.
    I believe one think that Allison could have done better is to add what are the scientist think about wildfires and how they happen, some information leading to what wildfires are. Another thing she could do better is how can human be either protected or what it does to human everyday lifestyle and describe how the region is if its heavily populated which I highly doubt or less populated but with plants and animals.
    I found something’s interesting how volcanos are still active and how wildfires can be predicted by one person or by many scientists.

    ReplyDelete