Recipe for Disaster

Clear cut a climax forest in a fog kissed Mediterranean climate.
Open the canopy to bathe the forest floor in sunlight and encourage an impenetrably thick regrowth of very opportunistic brush.
Spread highly flammable exotic invasive plant species such as Scotch broom to all disturbed areas.
Allow people to build wood and tar paper homes willy nilly.
Subsidize fire protection to those homes in unincorporated areas with generous taxpayer support.
Shock the same ecosystem again by suddenly and zealously excluding fire.
Prohibit the controlled use of fire for good measure.
Discourage vegetation management on all public lands and depress wages in the private sector by relegating brush clearing work to convicts.
Let stand for several decades until several dozen tons of fuel per acre chokes out native species and further degrades wildlife habitat.

When drought follows early winter storms, maintain a business as usual posture, release a few lukewarm fire safety tips and assure the public that all is well.

Add eight packages of special interest group salvage logging legislation to the mix plus:

Seven international terrorist groups,
Six homegrown militias,
Five disgruntled postal workers,
Four angry ex-husbands,
Three registered sex offenders looking for new thrills,
Two wannabe firemen and
One major earthquake fault.

Let simmer until the weather is right and the whole mixture is ready to go nuclear.