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UC wildfire expert: Lack of rain ‘primary factor’ in L.A. fires
Siting, design of communities key to limiting catastrophic damage
Jan. 8 statement about wildfires in Southern California by Max Moritz, University of California Cooperative Extension statewide wildfire specialist based in Santa Barbara
“Santa Ana winds can be expected at this time of year, but this episode seems unusually strong. Some people are focusing on climate change and higher temperatures drying out the vegetation, but that's not really the primary factor here. It's the lack of rainfall that's unusual, and that's likely also related to climate change. More erratic and extreme precipitation patterns – drier dry periods and wetter wet periods – are extending the fire season. We still haven't started our typical fall and winter rains, and it's January! By this point of winter, usually it has rained so fuels contain more moisture and are not as flammable.”
How to prevent catastrophic wildfires?
“We can reduce the various sources of ignition, especially during red flag conditions, but we really need to treat wildfire as a public health concern and address it through urban planning.
We can retrofit existing communities to better withstand such events. Providing better water supply and distribution systems, hardening homes, establishing evacuation plans for communities, and training community members how to live with fire and reduce risks.
We should prepare for the inevitable by building and rebuilding differently, such as in the siting and design of communities in fire-prone environments. Placement of communities on the landscape, such as near bodies of water and agricultural buffers, and how they are laid out can minimize their exposure to wildfire. This goes well beyond structure-level building codes.”
Bohart Museum Welcomes You to Next Open House
You can meet the scientists, examine the collections, look through microscopes, hold walking...
UC Davis entomology major Kaitai Liu chats with budding entomologist Eden Jett of Berkeley as she holds a walking stick. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
WeedCUT (Weed Control User Tool) expands!
Back in 2021 the California Invasive Plant Council (CAL IPC) and UC IPM launched the online...
Of Human-Modified Environments and Cabbage White Butterflies
You won't want to miss this UC Davis Entomology and Nematology seminar by postdoctoral scholar...
Two cabbage white butterflies, Pieris rapae, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Renewing Memories of the UC Davis Bee Haven
It's like “Old Home Week” or “Old Home Day” when Michelle Monheit visits...
Michelle Monheit of Woodland stands by "Miss Bee Haven," sculpted by Donna Billick. Michelle has visited the garden since childhood when her mother was working on bee research. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen and researcher Susan Monheit work in the beginning stages of the UC Davis Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
