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¡¡¡¡As wildfires challenge California£¬ the causes go beyond climate
¡¡¡¡A SHIFT IN THOUGHT
¡¡¡¡Wildfire season has become longer and more intense lately¡£ But beyond addressing climate change£¬ some researchers call for a paradigm shift to address the various human factors relating to prevention and safety¡£
¡¡¡¡By Jessica Mendoza£¬ Staff writer JULY 1£¬ 2016
¡¡¡¡AZUSA£¬ CALIF¡£ — On a chain-link fence along Route 39 hangs a homemade poster£¬ peppered with hearts£¬ thanking firefighters and police¡£
¡¡¡¡The sign£¬ one of a handful scattered across town£¬ salutes efforts to battle the San Gabriel Complex fire£¬ twin blazes that had erupted on June 20 in the mountains of Angeles National Forest just to the north of the city¡£ Within a day of igniting£¬ the fire had burned through nearly 5£¬000 acres and forced hundreds to evacuate¡£
¡¡¡¡Nearly a week passed before the US Forest Service and local and state authorities managed to contain even half of the inferno¡£
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¡¡¡¡“Three days in£¬ you could still see the flames£¬” says Jasmine Perez£¬ a teacher’s assistant and resident of Azusa£¬ which sits northeast of Los Angeles¡£ And because of the smoke£¬ she adds£¬ “In the mornings£¬ it kind of looked like nighttime still¡£”
¡¡¡¡The San Gabriel Complex was one of 12 large fires that about 4£¬000 firefighters were battling across California as of Thursday¡£ Such numbers so early in the fire season are a testament to the growing frequency and intensity of wildfires in the western US£¬ fire officials say – a shift that many experts say is likely intertwined with climate change and its associated consequences£¬ such as drought¡£
¡¡¡¡But climate£¬ however critical£¬ is only part of the problem£¬ scientists say¡£ A growing body of evidence suggests that other human activity and policy have at least as much impact on wildfires as climate change¡£ To effectively address a longer and more intense wildfire season – and ensure the safety of residents in fire-prone areas – both environmental and human factors have to be taken into account in more holistic ways£¬ they say¡£
¡¡¡¡That means more than just sweeping dry brush off the front porch¡£ Though such steps are an important part of the process£¬ officials and researchers alike are calling for a comprehensive approach to wildfires£º one that incorporates fire safety and behavior in key policy decisions and legislation¡£ Such an effort would also recognize that fire can be helpful as well as harmful and embrace fire’s place in human society¡£
¡¡¡¡“We need not just a policy shift but also a cultural shift in the dialogue around fires in our landscape and how to manage them£¬” says Jennifer Balch£¬ director of Earth Lab and a professor of geography at the University of Colorado in Boulder¡£ “Fire is not something we can remove¡£ A large majority of the country is living in fire-prone areas¡£ How do we live with wildfire£¿ How do we manage£¿”
¡¡¡¡“More and more researchers are arguing that anthropogenic influences are really important [to understanding wildfires]£¬” adds Max Moritz£¬ a specialist in fire ecology and management and a professor at the College of Natural Resources at the University of California£¬ Berkeley¡£ “By leaving them out we’re missing a critical piece of the solution¡£”
¡¡¡¡Changing attitudes on fire
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¡¡¡¡Though often viewed as a problem for western states£¬ the growing frequency of wildfires is a national concern because of its impact on federal tax dollars£¬ Professor Moritz and others say¡£
¡¡¡¡In 2015£¬ the US Forest Service for the first time spent more than half of its $5.5 billion annual budget fighting fires – nearly double the percentage it spent on such efforts 20 years ago¡£ In effect£¬ fewer federal funds today are going towards the agency’s other work – such as forest conservation£¬ watershed and cultural resources management£¬ and infrastructure upkeep – that affect the lives of all Americans¡£
¡¡¡¡Another nationwide concern is whether public funds from other agencies£¬ such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development£¬ are going into construction in fire-prone districts¡£ As Moritz puts it£¬ how often are federal dollars building homes that are likely to be lost to a wildfire£¿
¡¡¡¡“It’s already a huge problem from a public expenditure perspective for the whole country£¬” he says¡£ “We need to take a magnifying glass to that¡£ Like£¬ ‘Wait a minute£¬ is this OK£¿’ Do we want instead to redirect those funds to concentrate on lower-hazard parts of the landscape£¿”
¡¡¡¡Such a pivot would require a corresponding shift in the way US society today views fire£¬ researchers say¡£
¡¡¡¡For one thing£¬ conversations about wildfires need to be more inclusive¡£ Over the past decade£¬ the focus has been on climate change – how the warming of the Earth from greenhouse gases £¨including human carbon emissions£© is leading to conditions that exacerbate fires¡£
¡¡¡¡While climate is a key element£¬ Moritz says£¬ it shouldn’t come at the expense of the rest of the equation¡£
¡¡¡¡“The human systems and the landscapes we live on are linked£¬ and the interactions go both ways£¬” he says¡£ Failing to recognize that£¬ he notes£¬ leads to “an overly simplified view of what the solutions might be¡£ Our perception of the problem and perception of what the solution is [becomes] very limited¡£”
¡¡¡¡At the same time£¬ people continue to treat fire as an event that needs to be wholly controlled and unleashed only out of necessity£¬ says Professor Balch at the University of Colorado¡£ But acknowledging fire’s inevitable presence in human life is an attitude crucial to developing the laws£¬ policies£¬ and practices that make it as safe as possible£¬ she says¡£
¡¡¡¡“We’ve disconnected ourselves from living with fire£¬” Balch says¡£ “It is really important to understand and try and tease out what is the human connection [with fire] today¡£”
¡¡¡¡Role for citizens ¡£¡£¡£ and for policy
¡¡¡¡After nearly 30 years in the state fire service£¬ Janet Upton understands the value of that connection¡£
¡¡¡¡During her early days with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection £¨Cal Fire£©£¬ veterans would tell war stories of huge fires that happened once in a career£¬ she recalls¡£
¡¡¡¡“But in my generation£¬ those of us who’ve come up through the ‘80s£¬ ’90s£¬ 2000s … we feel like we don’t have the license to use the word ‘unprecedented’ any more¡£ We’ve seen it all in the last few years£¬” she says¡£ “I’ve probably had 15 once-in-a-career fires¡£”
¡¡¡¡And people caused most of them£¬ Ms¡£ Upton says¡£ About 90 percent of all fires in California can be traced to human activity£¬ whether it’s a stove left on or a campfire left burning¡£ Which is why public education has been Upton’s main goal since 2008£¬ when then-Gov¡£ Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her Cal Fire’s deputy communications director¡£
¡¡¡¡The department has since made strides£¬ playing a major role in launching state and nationalcampaigns that underscore the public’s role in fire safety¡£ But people’s tendency to put danger out of their minds until it’s too late continues to pose serious challenges£¬ Upton says¡£
¡¡¡¡“This is going to sound cold¡£ But if someone chooses to live in a rural area and continues to not be responsive to [fire-safety] education£¬ sadly£¬ the worst punishment they’re going to get is they’re going to lose their home in a fire£¬” she says¡£
¡¡¡¡A paradigm shift£¬ some researchers hope£¬ can address that gap between education and action¡£ Environmental policy specialist Ray Rasker£¬ for instance£¬ envisions whole communities designed around the concept of fire safety£¬ and a slate of fire-prevention policies at the local£¬ state£¬ and national level¡£
¡¡¡¡“What we’re telling the public now is£¬ ‘Reduce the risk of fires – if you so choose¡£’ Imagine if we tried driving our cars like that£¬” says Dr¡£ Rasker£¬ who is also executive director of Headwaters Economics£¬ a nonprofit research firm based in Bozeman£¬ Mont¡£ “Why not use regulations£¬ building codes£¬ and subdivision design standards£¬ development codes and ordinances that say£¬ ‘Look if you’re going to build there£¬ there are certain conditions you have to meet first’£¿”
¡¡¡¡Some places are already taking steps¡£ San Diego’s municipal code£¬ for instance£¬ requires property owners to maintain landscape and vegetation standards – or face a penalty equivalent to the cost of hiring a private contractor to do so¡£ Austin£¬ Texas£¬ has set aside close to 30 percent of city land as conservation areas£¬ curbing the number of new structures that can be built within the fire-prone “wildland-urban interface” £¨WUI£© – the space between unoccupied natural land and human developments¡£ Flagstaff£¬ Ariz¡££¬ Boulder£¬ Colo¡££¬ and Santa Fe£¬ N.M¡££¬ have all enacted similar policies¡£
¡¡¡¡But the need for action continues to grow¡£ As bad as wildfires have been in recent years£¬ research shows they’re likely to get worse as the US population increases and people build more homes in the WUI£¬ more than 80 percent of which remain undeveloped¡£
¡¡¡¡“We keep building more and more homes in harm’s way£¬” Rasker notes¡£ “Unless we get a handle on development£¬ we’re really not addressing the problem¡£”
¡¡¡¡Mind-set matters£¬ too – for everyone£¬ says Upton at Cal Fire¡£
¡¡¡¡“It’s a mitigation issue¡£ You can take the lens we’re looking at [in California] and take it to Tornado Alley or the Eastern Seaboard£¬” she says¡£ In the end£¬ “it’s about informing yourself as a member of the public or a policymaker¡£ How can you do something comprehensive£¿”
