...and scientists and environmentalists contradict themselves when they complain that we can't let dry foliage burn because it will lead to CO2 emissions.
What self respecting scientist would ever claim that dead plants not burning would sequester carbon? If it's in a position to burn then it's in a position to decay which releases that carbon back into the atmosphere anyways. If anything, charred wood is more resistant to decay than a bunch of cellulose and lignin.
As a Californian, I have never heard "environmentalism" used as an excuse for preventing forest fires. I hear lots about lost homes, lost lives, lost businesses; never anything about environmentalism.