Sept. 21 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.
The CALFIRE report for September 20, 2021
California's megafires spur insurers to send in special, private crews before a blaze hits
From San Francisco Chronicle, By Gregory Thomas | September 21, 2021
These maps show where prescribed burns helped curb the Caldor Fire’s rapid growth
From San Francisco Chronicle by Yoohuyn Jung and Paula Friedrich | Sept. 17, 2021
California Fires: General Sherman and Other Sequoias Given Blankets
From BBC News | September 17, 2021
Firefighters use new tactic of fire-resistant blankets wrapped around bases of sequoia trees, including the largest living single-stem tree, as fire in Sequoia National Park continues
With Help from Fannie Mae, Paradise CA Rebuilds Over 1,000 Homes
From the Federal National Mortgage Association \ September 7, 2021
Fannie Mae, in partnership with Rebuild Paradise Foundation and the innovative approaches to rebuilding developed by Charles Brooks, now marks the accomplishment of 1,000 rebuilt homes three years after the Camp Fire of 2018.
Detroit's Wildfire Recovery a Slow, Painful and Expensive Process
Central Oregon Daily News, by Steve Kaufmann \ September 16, 2021
Update on the town of Detroit, Oregon a year after the 2020 fire season and the long-term recovery process, including economic recovery, housing, and water supply.
Rebuild of Commercial Businesses Outpaces Homes After Labor Day Fires
From News 10, by Ambar Rodriguez | Sept. 16, 2021
A new Wildfire Victim Resiliency Permit Center in Jackson County, OR opens to aid in recovery process for residents after Almeda and South Obenchain fire, who are recovering at a slower pace than commercial rebuilds destroyed in the 2020 wildfires.
Cal Poly Project Leverages Artificial Intelligence Deep Learning to Aid Wildfire Recovery
From Atascadero News | September 16, 2021
Cal Poly staff and students use artificial intelligence to efficiently assess wildfire damage and improve response time for emergency and recovery efforts.
Mycoremediation brings the fungi to waste disposal and ecosystem restoration
From Mongabay by Carly Nairn | September 18, 2021
Research continues looking at the broad ways fungi can possibly regenerate soils and keep moisture in the ground, which are necessities for creating wildfire-adapted lands.
The Unconventional Weapon Against Future Wildfires: Goats
From The New York Times, by Coral Murphy Marcos | September 18, 2021
Goat herder Lani Malmberg uses her herd of 200 goats to clear the vegetation that could lead to future wildfires.
In California, Worsening Fires Show Limits of Biden's Power
From The New York Times, by Christopher Flavelle and Zolan Kanno-Youngs| September 13, 2021
Experts explain why the federal government is limited in its ability to reduce the scale of California wildfires and how state and local governments hold the greater power in aiding against fire destruction.
For Successful Wildfire Prevention, Look to the Southeast
From NPR, by Lauren Sommer, Rebecca Ramirez | Sept. 9, 2021
A climate correspondent describes how controlled fires and other tactics in Southeastern U.S. can inform wildfire prevention in the Western states.
Tree planting efforts aren’t replacing burned U.S. forests — not even close
From Reuters, by By Adria Malcolm and Andrew Hay, Andrea Januta | September 9, 2021
Systems are overwhelmed and not able to keep up with replanting needs after wildfire in federal forests, even though replacing trees can fight erosion, help with watershed, and improve climate.
To keep forests sustainable, education for women is key
From The University of Georgia, by Kristen Morales | September 20, 2021
Research at University of Georgia uncovers a need for forest management training specifically for women landowners since this role was traditionally passed down from father to son, leaving women out of that generational knowledge and social support networks in this domain.
Biden invokes Defense Production Act for second time to address fire hose shor
President Biden uses Defense Production Act in an effort to create 22,000 fire hoses to be used to battle the intense wildfire season after shortage of hoses at the beginning of this season.