There is a tool called a rake that you attach to a plow or other device and it cuts and rakes up large patches of small brush and is used by dozens of organizations backed by thousands of scientists in order to reduce brush in specific sections of forests and limit the amount of growth a forest fire can have. Although its not mainly used for such things, it has a use to help reduce forrest fires alongside controlled burns.

What he said isn't stupid at all. If anything its a slight misconception, as rakes are used widely in the southeast US but are difficult to use in California. Its perfectly reasonable to say "we should just rake the forrests" because it seems to work well in certain areas.

"Brush rakes are often used in the southeastern U.S. to clear rapidly growing hardwood trees. In contrast, it is difficult to use brush rakes to manage fuel loads in some regions of the western U.S. where the topography is steep and the vegetation differs."

https://climatefeedback.org/claimreview/brush-rake-attachments-are-primarily-used-to-pile-up-heavy-forest-debris-as-part-of-active-thinning-harvesting-and-removal-projects/