December 14 Digest: This Week in Wildfire Recovery News
This is a digest of selected news and media that emerged over the last week related to wildfire emergencies, recovery efforts, and resilience building efforts in the American West.
Scientists Show How Wildfire Smoke Increases Ozone Pollution
From Caltech, by Robert Perkins | December 8, 2021
Using data gathered from a specially equipped jet that spent a month flying through and studying wildfire plumes, scientists have a better understanding now of how wildfire smoke impacts air quality.
Multidimensional Tropical Forest Recovery
From Science.org | December 9, 2021
Analysis of how 12 forest attributes recover during secondary succession and how their recovery is interrelated using 77 sites across the tropics.
Newsletter: Climate Change is Transforming How Angelenos Live, Breathe, and Escape the Heat
From Los Angeles Times, by Sammy Roth | December 9, 2021
Heat storms are taking hard toll on life in Los Angeles, with fifty-one percent of Los Angeles County residents avoiding going outside at some point between summer 2020 and summer 2021, and more than one quarter of citizens reporting psychological distress due to fire, flood or extreme heat during that time.
Frosts, Heatwaves, and Wildfires: The Climate Crisis is Hitting the Wine Industry Hard
From The Guardian, by Angely Mercado | December 9, 2021
As the climate crisis intensifies, the wine industry is increasingly vulnerable and growers across the world are scrambling to find solutions.
'Less a Hotel and More of a Home': Shelter Opens At Former Super 8 Motel in Salem
From Statesman Journal, by Whitney Woodworth | December 7, 2021
This month, the former Super 8 motel in northeast Salem is set to open its doors as one the 19 Project Turnkey shelters. The shelter is designed to provide housing and connect residents to supportive services for those displaced by the wildfires and living unsheltered.
Tips to Winterize an RV for the Cold Days Ahead
From KRCR, by Kelly DeLeon | December 7, 2021
Useful information for winterizing RVs and trailers, especially for fire survivors living in trailers during fire recovery process
PID Set to Support Paradise Sewer
From Paradise Post, by Rick Silva | December 11, 2021
The Paradise Irrigation District board of directors will be asked to support a letter supporting the town of Paradise’s effort to build a sewer project, which will help groundwater quality by decreasing tank septic charges.
Sierra Nevada Conservancy Board Approves Wildfire Resilience Grant Guidelines, Funds Giant Sequoia Restoration Project
From Sierra Sun Times | December 9, 2021
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s Governing Board approved new funding guidelines and will make up to $25 million in local-assistance grants for projects that address immediate wildfire‑recovery and forest-resilience priorities.
Mendocino County Fire Safe Council Seeks Input on Hopland Wildfire Protection Plan
From The Mendocino Voice, by Sonia Waraich | December 13, 2021
The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council released a draft of its Community Wildfire Protection Plan and is seeking input from now until the end of the year.
Wildfire Debris Removal Process Nears Completion
From Oakdale Leader | December 8, 2021
Ninety-one percent of properties whose owners signed up to participate in California’s debris removal program following the 2020 wildfires can now begin reconstruction with the completion of debris removal processes
Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park to Reopen Months After Closure Due to Wildfire
From KTLA, by Nouran Salahieh | December 9, 2021
Nearly three months after closure due to KNP Complex Fire, The Giant Forest at Sequoia National Park will reopen to the public.
UC Berkeley Research Forest Tests Strategies for Wildfire Prevention
From NBC Bay Area, by Joe Rosato Jr. | December 10, 2021
Researchers at the Blodgett Forest Research Station have been staging scientific experiments to gauge the effectiveness of different land management strategies.
From the Ashes: U.S. Capitol Tree From California Stands as a Reminder of Wildfire, Drought Policy
From The Sacramento Bee, by Gillian Brassil | December 12, 2021
This year’s United States Capitol Christmas Tree, adorned with colorful ornaments handcrafted by children across California, stands 84-feet tall behind the halls of the Congress, and is a reminder of the public's responsibility to conserve lands and forests so the future generations can enjoy them.
Want to Limit Carbon and Curb Wildfire? Create a Market for Small Trees
From Phys.org, by University of California - Berkeley | December 13, 2021
A new analysis by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, shows how creating a market for small diameter trees and other woody biomass can create an economic incentive for effective forest management and prevent the carbon stored in this vegetation from entering the atmosphere.
California Focus Wildfire Insurance Crisis Hits Harder Than Ever
From insurancenewsnet.com, by The Ukaiah Daily Journal | December 11, 2021
The availability of homeowners’ insurance and the fire coverage it provides has become increasingly scarce for many homeowners who live in unburned areas that are deemed possibilities for future blazes.
Forest Service Cautions Public on Dangers of Illegal Campfires
From YubaNet.com, by Lisa Herron | December 10, 2021
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, every year human-caused wildfires account for more than 85 percent of all wildfires in the United States, and most of them can be prevented by practicing responsible recreation.
Natural Infrastructure Projects Reduce Wildfire Losses: Marsh McLennon
From Reinsurance News, by Katie Baker | December 13, 2021
Marsh McLennon, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy in California has released new research that demonstrates the financial benefits that accompany nature-based approaches to wildfire risk reduction.
California Lawmakers Push For New Funding For More Wildland Firefighters
From Jefferson Public Radio, by Liam Moriarty | December 12, 2021
A bipartisan group of state legislators wants to fund a major expansion of California’s wildland firefighters' ranks with increasingly brutal fire seasons that leave California's wildland firefighters stressed and exhausted.
Dozens of Firefighters Were Nearly Entrapped on the Route Fire in Southern California
From Wildfire Today, by Bill Gabbert | December 11, 2021
Three months ago, the Route Fire trapped dozens of firefighters with flames rising in on all sides of them.
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein to EPA: Revise Renewable Fuel Standard Biomass Sources to Include Trees, Vegetation Removed During Wildfire Mitigation Efforts
From Sierra Sun Times | December 8, 2021
Senator Dianne Feinstein called on the Environmental Protection Agency to revise the Renewable Fuel Standard so that small trees and vegetation on federal land cleared during wildfire mitigation efforts are allowable sources for biomass and, thus, eligible for credits.
DEQ Staff Drops Carbon Sequestration Plan Recommended by State Advisory Groups
From Salem Reporter, by Alex Baumhardt | December 9, 2021
Oregon State agency officials remove investing in agricultural and forest land, which was supposed to be a way companies could offset emissions under new rules.