Photos: Wildfires in California devastate outdoor cannabis crops, wineries

Uninsured farmers fear for their livelihoods as nearly two dozen fires burn near the largest cannabis growing region in the United States

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      Considering British Columbia just went through it's own bout with forest fires, we're really feeling for Californians right now.

      The state is currently dealing with one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent years, where fire has burned more than 191,000 acres of land.

      A look at California's statewide fire map reveals a grim picture: While fires are presently burning across the state, northern California has been hit the hardest, with nearly two dozen fires burning near the counties of Mendocino, Sonoma, and Napa. 

      The fires edge on an area that cannabis growers call "The Emerald Triangle". It's the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States.

      The fires struck at a particularly bad time as farmers were preparing to harvest their crops.

      Entire farms have already been destroyed, and many farmers fear that they will go out of business because federal laws that prohibit cannabis make it impossible for farmers to insure their crops.

      The state's recent move to legalize adult-use marijuana saw many of these farmers spending millions on preparing their farms for state regulation.

      It's not expected that the fires will affect the supply of cannabis in the state, but farmers whose crops were spared are still concerned about the effects of smoke on their plants.

      There are between 10,000 and 15,000 cannabis farms in California.

      According to CNN, this season's fires have already caused 26 deaths. 

       

       

       

      It's times like these when our cannabis community really come together. Let's all take some time to really appreciate what we have today as we keep the people affected by these horrible fires, in our thoughts. Plants can be replanted, buildings can be rebuilt. I hope everyone is ok out there, please reach out if you are in Northern California and need help. If we can't, we certainly will try our best to link you up with someone in your area that can. The state of California is on fire, let's make sure to lend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in need. #cannabiscommunity #californiacannabis #sonomacountycannabis #mendocinocannabis #lakecountycannabis #cannabisfamily #cannabiscultivators #cannabisoperators #californiawildfires #norcalcannabis #prayersSentUP

      A post shared by CalComply (@calcomply) on Oct 10, 2017 at 7:14am PDT

       

       

      The morning after - an ominous sunrise over Southern Sonoma Valley @scribewinery #sonomafires #nofilter

      A post shared by Mark Vogler (@markvogler) on Oct 12, 2017 at 8:09am PDT

       

       

      Much love to my NorCal folks...hope everyone is staying safe from the fires!

      A post shared by BeeWell! Genetics (@beewellseeds) on Oct 10, 2017 at 1:10pm PDT

       

       

       

      We will get through this together #norcal #sonomacounty #califire #nature #horse #wewillgetthroughthis #havehope

      A post shared by Further Beyond Designs (@carlosjkjm) on Oct 12, 2017 at 12:14am PDT

       

       

      Sending love and good vibes to all the #urbanfarmers effected by the fires. 707 stay strong .

      A post shared by Berner (@berner415) on Oct 9, 2017 at 3:06pm PDT

       

       

      #nofilter #redwoodcomplexfire Pretty scary up here at noon yesterday, much better today, still smokey but not this evil glow.

      A post shared by ThisIsNotaFunFarm (@thisisnotafunfarm) on Oct 10, 2017 at 1:15pm PDT

       

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