NEXUS BETWEEN WILDFIRE, CLIMATE CHANGE and POPULATION GROWTH in CALIFORNIA Jon E
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P-19-CA-06-0DD2 January 1, 2021 Thru March 31, 2021 Performance
Grantee: California Grant: P-19-CA-06-0DD2 January 1, 2021 thru March 31, 2021 Performance Grant Number: Obligation Date: Award Date: P-19-CA-06-0DD2 Grantee Name: Contract End Date: Review by HUD: California Original - In Progress Grant Award Amount: Grant Status: QPR Contact: $1,017,399,000.00 Active No QPR Contact Found LOCCS Authorized Amount: Estimated PI/RL Funds: $0.00 $0.00 Total Budget: $1,017,399,000.00 Disasters: Declaration Number FEMA-4382-CA FEMA-4407-CA Narratives Disaster Damage: 2018 was the deadliest year for wildfires in California’s history. In August 2018, the Carr Fire and the Mendocino Complex Fire erupted in northern California, followed in November 2018 by the Camp and Woolsey Fires. These were the most destructive and deadly of the dozens of fires to hit California that year. In total, it is estimated over 1.6 million acres burned during 2018. The Camp Fire became California’s deadliest wildfire on record, with 85 fatalities. 1. July-September 2018 Wildfires (DR-4382) At the end of July 2018, several fires ignited in northern California, eventually burning over 680,000 acres. The Carr Fire, which began on July 23, 2018, was active for 164 days and burned 229,651 acres in total, the majority of which were in Shasta County. It is estimated that 1,614 structures were destroyed, and eight fatalities were confirmed. The damage caused by this fire is estimated at approximately $1.659 billion. Over a year since the fire, the county and residents are still struggling to rebuild, with the construction sector pressed beyond its limit with the increased demand. -
Authors: Lucas Steven Moore, Cooper Lee Bennett, Elizabeth
Authors: Lucas Steven Moore, Cooper Lee Bennett, Elizabeth Robyn Nubla Ogan, Kota Cody Enokida, Yi Man, Fernando Kevin Gonzalez, Christopher Carpio, Heather Michaela Gee ANTHRO 25A: Environmental Injustice Instructor: Prof. Dr. Kim Fortun Department of Cultural Anthropology Graduate Teaching Associates: Kaitlyn Rabach Tim Schütz Undergraduate Teaching Associates Nina Parshekofteh Lafayette Pierre White University of California Irvine, Fall 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS What is the setting of this case? [KOTA CODY ENOKIDA] 3 How does climate change produce environmental vulnerabilities and harms in this setting? [Lucas Moore] 6 What factors -- social, cultural, political, technological, ecological -- contribute to environmental health vulnerability and injustice in this setting? [ELIZABETH ROBYN NUBLA OGAN] 11 Who are the stakeholders, what are their characteristics, and what are their perceptions of the problems? [FERNANDO KEVIN GONZALEZ] 15 What have different stakeholder groups done (or not done) in response to the problems in this case? [Christopher Carpio] 18 How have big media outlets and environmental organizations covered environmental problems related to worse case scenarios in this setting? [COOPER LEE BENNETT] 20 What local actions would reduce environmental vulnerability and injustice related to fast disaster in this setting? [YI MAN] 23 What extra-local actions (at state, national or international levels) would reduce environmental vulnerability and injustice related to fast disaster in this setting and similar settings? [GROUP] 27 What kinds of data and research would be useful in efforts to characterize and address environmental threats (related to fast disaster, pollution and climate change) in this setting and similar settings? [HEATHER MICHAELA GEE] 32 What, in your view, is ethically wrong or unjust in this case? [GROUP] 35 BIBLIOGRAPHY 36 APPENDIX 45 Cover Image: Location in Sonoma County and the state of California.Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY 3.0. -
Red Cross Supports California Residents Affected by Wildfires
2019 California Wildfires Six-Month Update 2020 Red Cross Supports California Residents Affected By Wildfires In fall 2019, wildfires once again raged across California, Lynne Fredericks, who evacuated from Windsor along burning nearly 200,000 acres of land and driving with her sister and their dog Jack, said she was amazed at hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes. In how hard others were working to help the evacuees, all Southern California, powerful Santa Ana winds combined “with so much kindness and generosity". "I have not seen with dry conditions to create swift fire growth and extreme anyone be rude to somebody coming in. I always see fire behavior. Multiple large blazes, including the Getty them being helpful,” she said. Fire, Tick Fire and Saddleridge Fire, destroyed thousands of acres as residents hastened to evacuate. Terrifying This kindness and generosity were on full display at the video footage showed columns of flames jumping across Red Cross shelter in Santa Rosa. When workers there roads and freeways. realized that the children staying in their shelter were going to miss Halloween, they quickly mobilized to create Northern California battled the Kincade Fire, the largest a fun-filled holiday celebration. On Halloween, costumed wildfire ever to occur in Sonoma County. Dry conditions, children enjoyed crafts, jack-o’-lanterns, face painting, high-wind events and the fast-moving wildfire led to the a visit from the Oakland Raiders mascot and of course, unprecedented evacuation of nearly 190,000 residents, candy. more than a third of the county’s population. For residents who had survived the deadly Tubbs Fire only two years The attentive work done by the Red Cross to support before, experiencing another evacuation was especially evacuees did not go unappreciated. -
Review of California Wildfire Evacuations from 2017 to 2019
REVIEW OF CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE EVACUATIONS FROM 2017 TO 2019 STEPHEN WONG, JACQUELYN BROADER, AND SUSAN SHAHEEN, PH.D. MARCH 2020 DOI: 10.7922/G2WW7FVK DOI: 10.7922/G29G5K2R Wong, Broader, Shaheen 2 Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. UC-ITS-2019-19-b N/A N/A 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Review of California Wildfire Evacuations from 2017 to 2019 March 2020 6. Performing Organization Code ITS-Berkeley 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report Stephen D. Wong (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3638-3651), No. Jacquelyn C. Broader (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3269-955X), N/A Susan A. Shaheen, Ph.D. (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3350-856X) 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. Institute of Transportation Studies, Berkeley N/A 109 McLaughlin Hall, MC1720 11. Contract or Grant No. Berkeley, CA 94720-1720 UC-ITS-2019-19 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period The University of California Institute of Transportation Studies Covered www.ucits.org Final Report 14. Sponsoring Agency Code UC ITS 15. Supplementary Notes DOI: 10.7922/G29G5K2R 16. Abstract Between 2017 and 2019, California experienced a series of devastating wildfires that together led over one million people to be ordered to evacuate. Due to the speed of many of these wildfires, residents across California found themselves in challenging evacuation situations, often at night and with little time to escape. These evacuations placed considerable stress on public resources and infrastructure for both transportation and sheltering. -
Fuels, Fire Suppression, and the California Conundrum
Fuels, fire suppression, and the California conundrum Eric Knapp U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station Redding, CA Bald and Eiler Fires - 2014; Photo: T. Erdody How did we get here? 2018: Most destructive wildfire (Camp Fire) Largest wildfire (Mendocino Complex) Most acres burned in modern CA history 2017: 2nd most destructive wildfire (Tubbs Fire) 2nd largest wildfire (Thomas Fire) Mediterranean climate = fire climate Redding, CA (Elev. 500 ft) 8 100 7 6 80 F) o 5 Wildfire season 4 60 3 Precipitation (in) 2 40 Ave Max.Temp. ( 1 0 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Precipitation Month Temperature • Very productive – grows fuel • Fuel critically dry every summer • Hot/dry = slow decomposition Fire activity through time Shasta-Trinity National Forest (W of Trinity Lake) 1750 1850 1897 Fire return interval 3 years 12 years No fire since 1897 Fuel limited fire regime | Ignition limited fire regime • Fire was historically a combination of indigenous burning and lightning ignitions • Aided travel, hunting, and improved the qualities of culturally important plants • Many early Euro-American settlers initially continued to burn • Forage for grazing animals • Lessened the danger from summer wildfires • Foresters advocated for Halls Flat, A. Wieslander, 1925 suppressing fire • “The virgin forest is certainly less than half stocked, chiefly as one result of centuries of repeated fires” – Show and Kotok 1925 • Believed keeping fire out would be cheaper than treating fuels with fire Burney area, A. Wieslander, 1925 Change in structural variability (trees > 4 in.) 1929 2008 Methods of Cutting Study – Stanislaus National Forest Lack of fire also changed non-forests A. -
Attachment a ‐ Forest Service Wildfire, NEPA, and Salvage Summary
Attachment A ‐ Forest Service Wildfire, NEPA, and Salvage Summary Fiscal Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2007‐2016 Number of Fires 1 63 64 53 33 66 79 56 56 127 110 707 Total fire acres on NFS 2 1,751,118 1,326,893 549,108 211,327 1,489,029 2,411,413 1,141,353 741,465 1,587,843 1,038,686 12,248,235 High severity acres on NFS 3 842,658 368,595 268,944 76,192 619,020 809,720 513,957 265,045 489,668 397,654 4,651,453 Number of NEPA decisions identified 4 129 Acres of salvage planned in NEPA 5 218 17,255 2,134 14,010 22,761 28,937 13,809 13,264 112,388 Number of NEPA decisions litigated 6 125110332422 Litigation cases won by USFS 7 013110131112 Litigation cases lost by USFS 8 1120001011 7 Litigation cases pending 9 0000001002 3 Acres of salvage reported accomplished 10 328 2,665 8,125 3,464 8,774 6,916 11,672 19,792 16,926 21,234 99,896 1 Fires burning more than 1,000 acres on NFS land 10 Salvage harvest activity records identified as awarded in Forest Service Activity 2 Total acres inside fire perimeter on NFS land Tracking System (FACTS) by GIS analysis of fire perimeters. 3 Classified as greater than 75% mortality using Rapid Assessment of Vegetation Condition after Wildfire (RAVG) 4 Identified by fire salvage keyword search in PALS (Planning Appeals and Disclaimer: Only the litigation data is believed to be 100% complete and Litigation System) or reported with sale activity records in Forest Service systems accurate. -
Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit 2020 Strategic Fire Plan
Figure: 1 Capell Incident Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit 2020 Strategic Fire Plan Unit Strategic Fire Plan Amendments Description of Updated Date Section Updated Page Numbers Updated Update By 5/26/2020 ALL ALL Annual Update S.Cardwell 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS SIGNATURE PAGE ........................................................................................................ 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 5 SECTION I: UNIT OVERVIEW ....................................................................................... 6 SECTION II: UNIT PREPAREDNESS AND FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITIES ............... 9 SECTION III: VALUES .................................................................................................. 12 History of Large Fires ................................................................................................. 12 Values at Risk ............................................................................................................ 12 Section IV: PRE-FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATAGIES & TACTICS ........................... 13 Communication and Collaboration ............................................................................. 13 Pre-Fire Planning ....................................................................................................... 14 Section V: MONITORING PROGRAMS EFFECTIVNESS .......................................... 16 Emergency Command Center ................................................................................... -
HEAT, FIRE, WATER How Climate Change Has Created a Public Health Emergency Second Edition
By Alan H. Lockwood, MD, FAAN, FANA HEAT, FIRE, WATER How Climate Change Has Created a Public Health Emergency Second Edition Alan H. Lockwood, MD, FAAN, FANA First published in 2019. PSR has not copyrighted this report. Some of the figures reproduced herein are copyrighted. Permission to use them was granted by the copyright holder for use in this report as acknowledged. Subsequent users who wish to use copyrighted materials must obtain permission from the copyright holder. Citation: Lockwood, AH, Heat, Fire, Water: How Climate Change Has Created a Public Health Emergency, Second Edition, 2019, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Acknowledgments: The author is grateful for editorial assistance and guidance provided by Barbara Gottlieb, Laurence W. Lannom, Anne Lockwood, Michael McCally, and David W. Orr. Cover Credits: Thermometer, reproduced with permission of MGN Online; Wildfire, reproduced with permission of the photographer Andy Brownbil/AAP; Field Research Facility at Duck, NC, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers HEAT, FIRE, WATER How Climate Change Has Created a Public Health Emergency PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY U.S. affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize 1111 14th St NW Suite 700, Washington, DC, 20005 email: [email protected] About the author: Alan H. Lockwood, MD, FAAN, FANA is an emeritus professor of neurology at the University at Buffalo, and a Past President, Senior Scientist, and member of the Board of Directors of Physicians for Social Responsibility. He is the principal author of the PSR white paper, Coal’s Assault on Human Health and sole author of two books, The Silent Epidemic: Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health (MIT Press, 2012) and Heat Advisory: Protecting Health on a Warming Planet (MIT Press, 2016). -
Office of Governor Kate Brown
23 Oregon’s economy continues to do well. Businesses are growing, unemployment is low, and wages are increasing. However, not all Oregonians are enjoying this prosperity equally. We need to be diligent champions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work, in our communities, and in our regions. The foundation of the Regional Solutions program recognizes that Oregon is comprised of many different economies and tailors the state’s support to create thriving communities across the state. Regional Solutions staff live and work in the communities they serve, making sure state agencies work together efficiently and collaborate with local partners. The staff work with a grassroots approach powered by the ability to cross-cut agencies to assist businesses, local governments, and partners to get things done. They work on the nuts and bolts of economic development: streamlining permits, advising on land use, and building partnerships between the private, public, and philanthropic sectors. We see the results when businesses grow and things get built: transportation networks, water systems, broadband, homes, innovation centers, and more. That leads to not just more jobs, but better jobs across the state. This is how we support sustained growth rooted in our local communities and their plans to support economic vitality. With the impressive bench strength of the Regional Solutions staff, I give special assignments that move the needle for initiatives of state wide significance. In 2018, Regional Solutions took on workforce housing. Today, we are partnering in communities across the state on five housing pilots that will inform solutions that innovatively address this important issue. -
Determining Fire Severity of the Santa Rosa, CA 2017 Fire John Cortenbach California State University, Long Beach
IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Humboldt State University Volume 3 ideaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Humboldt State Article 8 University 2019 Determining Fire Severity of the Santa Rosa, CA 2017 Fire John Cortenbach California State University, Long Beach Richard Williams Buddhika Madurapperuma Humboldt State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/ideafest Part of the Geographic Information Sciences Commons, and the Remote Sensing Commons Recommended Citation Cortenbach, John; Williams, Richard; and Madurapperuma, Buddhika (2019) "Determining Fire Severity of the Santa Rosa, CA 2017 Fire," IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Humboldt State University: Vol. 3 , Article 8. Available at: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/ideafest/vol3/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Humboldt State University by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Determining Fire Severity of the Santa Rosa, CA 2017 Fire Acknowledgements N/A This article is available in IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Humboldt State University: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/ideafest/vol3/iss1/8 GEOSPATIAL SCIENCES Determining Fire Severity of the 2017 Santa Rosa, CA Fire John Cortenbach1, Richard Williams1, Buddhika Madurapperuma2* ABSTRACT—This study examines the 2017 Santa Rosa wildfire using remote sensing techniques to estimate the acreage of burned areas. Landsat 8 imagery of the pre- and post-fire areas was used to extrapolate the burn severity using two methods: (i) difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and (ii) change detection analysis. -
For Forests' Sake: Positive Feedback Loops and Budget Mismanagement
For Forests’ Sake: Positive Feedback Loops and Budget Mismanagement Written by: James Warren Edited by: Elisabeth Lembo Background: In October 2019, the Kincaid fire began. Spread and amplified by powerful winds, the fire ravaged northern California, burning over 75,000 acres of land and destroying hundreds of homes and buildings.[1] During the fire, Pacific Gas & Electric shut off power for over two million California residents to prevent downed power lines from causing new fires, potentially imperiling those who needed power for updates about the movements of the fires and necessary evacuations.[2]This situation, coupled with the Los-Angeles-proximate Tick Fire, led California Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Sonoma counties, resulting in the evacuation of 50,000 Los Angeles residents.[3] Forest fires like those ravaging California are becoming increasingly common nationwide. Almost every state has seen an increase in total acreage burned over the past thirty years | 1 For Forests’ Sake: Positive Feedback Loops and Budget Mismanagement (Figure 1).[4] Though 2019 has been a relatively quiet year, the trend toward more severe fires is clear. In 2018, for example, California suffered over 1,800,000 of acres of wildfire damage, with over 8.5 million acres burned across the United States as a whole.[5]Over the past thirty years, total acreage loss due to wildfires has been increasing dramatically, nearly doubling loss levels from the 1980s and 1990s (Figure 2).[6]In the same time frame, the total number of individual fires stayed relatively stagnant, meaning the fires are becoming more disastrous (Figure 3).[7]These dramatic increases have occurred despite technological improvements in fire suppression and increases in firefighting personnel.[8] Environmental causes–climate change and an extended drought season–explain the increase in fire size and intensity. -
The Critical Role of Greenbelts in Wildfire Resilience Executive Summary
JUNE 2021 THE CRITICAL ROLE OF GREENBELTS IN WILDFIRE RESILIENCE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Bay Area is at a tipping point in its relationship to wildfire. Decision makers, planners, and advocates must work together on urgent solutions that will keep communities safe from wildfires while also addressing the acute housing crisis. There is huge potential for the Bay Area, and other places across the Western US, to accelerate greenbelts as critical land-use tools to bolster wildfire resilience. Through original research and an assessment of case studies, Greenbelt Alliance has identified four types of greenbelts that play a role in reducing the loss of lives and homes in extreme wildfire events while increasing overall resilience in communities and across landscapes, including: 1 Open space, parks, and preserves 2 Agricultural and working lands such as vineyards, orchards, and farms 3 Greenbelt zones strategically planned and placed inside subdivisions and communities 4 Recreational greenways such as bike paths, playing fields, and golf courses Cover image: Kincade Fire Greenbelt Burn Area at Edge of Windsor, CA by Thomas Rennie. Images this page: (Clockwise from top left) Escaflowne, Bjorn Bakstad, Erin Donalson, f00sion, Bill Oxford GREENBELTS IN WILDFIRE RESILIENCE 3 The role these types of greenbelts play in loss POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS prevention and resilience include: Local, regional, and state policymakers, planners and • Serving as strategic locations for wildfire defense their consultants, and the advocates and nonprofits • Acting as natural wildfire buffers to create separation working on solutions should put this research into from wildlands action and deliver on the following recommendations: • Increasing overall wildfire resilience through land stewardship Recommendation 1 • Conserving biodiversity on fire-adapted lands while Prioritize increasing greenbelts as strategic locations reducing risk for wildfire defense through policy and planning.