PART 1: Las Conchas wildfire burning out of control in New Mexico
In a recent report from the Albuquerque Journal, half of the Bandelier National Monument has burned. The Las Conchas fire, which started six days ago, is now the largest in New Mexico history, with more than 103,800 acres (162 square miles) in cinders. The National Park Service characterizes the fire behavior as "extreme." Parts of the vast Santa Fe National Forest and half of Santa Clara's forest lands are totally destroyed.
The Wallow Fire is now almost entirely contained. It burned more than 750 square miles in eastern Arizona shortly before the New Mexico fires started.
Astronauts on the International Space Station have seen the New Mexico fire from space. Their photo, reproduced here courtesy of NASA, was snapped from 235 miles high. It's the PBS photo of the day.
Impact on America's renewable energy resources
"Rarely has there been any attempt to quantify the long-term consequences of a damaged renewable resource base to provide for the needs of an ever increasing present and future human society," say Bob Zybach and others in a U.S. Wildfire Cost-Plus-Loss Economics Project. Biomass from forest lands currently contributes about 142 million dry tons to the U.S. total annual consumption of 190 million dry tons. The Las Conchas fire has burned a small but measurable amount of the nation's biomass feedstock.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, biomass recently surpassed hydropower as the largest domestic source of renewable energy. It now accounts for more than half of all that we use, currently providing over three percent of our total energy consumption.
As well as supplying pellet stoves and 35%-efficient renewable fuel for electric power generation, biomass is also very attractive as a source of liquid transportation fuel. The Biomass R&D Technical Advisory Committee, a panel established by the Congress to guide the future direction of federally funded research and development, has envisioned that biofuels will replace 30% of current U.S. petroleum consumption by 2030.
NEXT: Roaring wildfire threatens resources old and new
Also of interest:
Incredible photos from AP and other sources.
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