An adventure with your best friend

Today, I woke up at 5:00 in the morning, hearing my detective phone alert, "Beep! Beep!" "Oh no, " I said, waking up my friend Ange. She is a detective, like me. She has black hair and is very skinny, "What? " She said, sounding exhausted. She climbed out of bed and changed her pajamas into our detective equipment. I told her that we have yet another mystery to solve. 

I informed her that the mystery was about forest wildfires. I quickly changed on my detective equipment and headed out. It was refreshing and foggy outside. Ange and I immediately went to the nearby forest to examine the trees.

After that, I interviewed a few other people who own forest campsites and state parks while Ange went back home to do research. Some of the people who own the sites say it is because of the climate. In the Fall and Summer, it is more dry and hot. There will likely be fires in the forests. “Nature creates the perfect conditions for fire, as long as people are there to start the fires. But then climate change, in a few different ways, seems to load the dice toward more fire in the future.” Some say that it is because of people. Some people will cut off parts of the trees and burn them to make campfires. Others are using BBQ grills in the woods and gathering coal to use as fuel. "People are always creating possible sparks, and as the dry season wears on and stuff is drying out more and more, the chance that a spark comes off a person at the wrong time." Others say that it is because of strong winds, such as the Santa Ana Winds. Each Fall, strong breezes known as the Santa Ana winds bring dry air from the Great Basin area of the West onto the South. 

When I went home, Ange told me that it might be the climate, people, and strong winds. She said that the wildfires need to be stopped immediately since they can affect public health and the natural environment. "People are increasing the risk to life, property, and public health. Smoke reduces air quality and can increase lung disease, especially in children and elderly."

"Wildfires are a natural part of many ecosystems. Although wildfires produce several greenhouse gases, the plants that benefit burned areas remove carbon from the

atmosphere. However, when fires burn more frequently, as they are doing with climate change, released greenhouse gases may not be completely removed from the atmosphere if plants can not grow before burning." Ange said as she read from her research. 

Please help prevent forest fires from happening. We need to act now.