I've been listening to NPR and television broadcasts on the fires in San Diego County: 100,000 acres burned, 500,000 people evacuated, 1,000,000,000 in damages to houses, businesses, and infrastructure. Ron Roberts, San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairman, told Jim Lehrer that the major contributors to the fires are weather related: fast winds, high temperature, and low humidity. Neither Roberts nor other people interviewed mentioned the role of trees in the fires. I find this incredibly interesting because vegetation is usually mentioned as a contributing factor in fires. In fact, a new term - firescape - has been developed to describe fire-related residential landscape design. Reuters/Mike Blake; Max Whittaker (right) In the East Bay, trees are a significant factor in fire safety plans for the hills. UC Berkeley and the City of Oakland have plans to remove eucalyptus from the hills. The university plan is being opposed by the Hills Conservation Network, a 10-m