-
Only weeks after the Thomas Fire, lessons learned are surfacing. The University of California Cooperative Extension's Matthew Shapero presents those realizations from a ranching perspective, with a strong call to action. Photo credit: K-BOB's Steakhouse shared via Flickr Creative Commons
Topic: Business resilience Defensible space / Firewise Planning Wildfire Wildfire recovery Type: Success Story / Lessons Learned
Feb 08, 2018
Just as quickly as the Thomas Fire swept through parts of our community, the questions started flooding my office: Should we prune our burned avocado trees? Can I graze my cattle on burned pastures, and if not, how can I increase my forage production… Read More
-
What does it take to be an effective leader in the wildfire world? Meet some of the masterminds behind the Women-in-Fire Prescribed Fire Training Exchange and hear the stories that shaped their leadership philosophies. (Photo, left to right: Jeanne Pincha-Tulley, Lenya Quinn-Davidson and Kelly Martin; Credit: Lenya Quinn-Davidson, Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network)
Feb 01, 2018
Last Sunday morning, I sat crying at my kitchen table as my family went about its usual routine around me. They knew I wasn’t there with them; rather, I was in 19th-century China, immersed in the friendships, stories and heartbreaks of other women.… Read More
-
When explaining the "wildfire problem," people increasingly point to the expanding wildland-urban interface. Research forester Dr. Sarah McCaffrey explores some of the data, and counterarguments, surrounding that narrative. (Photo: Santa Rosa neighborhoods after the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Credit: David Loeffler, United States National Guard shared via Flickr Creative Commons)
Topic: Planning WUI codes & ordinances Type: Research Synthesis
Jan 25, 2018
How you tell a story influences what conclusions people draw from it (think Aesop’s Fables). Over the past decade, the overarching American wildfire narrative has become fairly focused on three dynamics: fuels buildup due to suppression, climate… Read More
-
Topic: Communications / Outreach Other Type: Essay
Jan 18, 2018
I will comb my hair every day. I will call my grandparents more. I will practice gratitude. Those are a few of my New Year’s resolutions. I know, I know, most of us cringe in regard to New Year’s resolutions, but at the same time, I believe… Read More
-
Shown in this image is a California-hazel-stem basket holding tanoak acorns that were collected from the 2015 Klamath River Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) burn area. Also shown is a Karuk woman’s “work” basket cap and an acorn cooking paddle made of Pacific maple. These are a few of the resources used by Karuk women to gather and prepare acorn soup. This burn reduced acorn pests, cleared out surface and ladder fuels to improved acorn gathering, and maintained the tanoak cavity at the base of this older tree. Cavities like this are important habitat for animals that hunt small game that eat acorns. Credit: Frank Lake, USDA Forest Service and Karuk Tribe.
Topic: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Watershed protection / management Type: Essay
Jan 11, 2018
The Karuk Tribe’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and belief systems are constructed and preserved in the form of stories, practices, performances and ongoing interactions with the natural world. Among such rituals include our World Renewal… Read More
-
Alison Green works with communities throughout central Oregon on wildfire resilience issues. Here, she's talking with a landowner. Credit: Project Wildfire
Topic: Communications / Outreach Fuels treatment / Prescribed fire Wildfire recovery Type: Interview
Jan 09, 2018
What did you do prior to working on community wildfire resilience? How did you get into FAC work? Prior to Project Wildfire, I fought fire for the USDA Forest Service, performed recreational site surveys, and worked for a property management… Read More
-
"It is a horrific moment when you realize that the worst case scenario, the thing you had been theoretically preparing for, is actually happening." Dave Lasky shares six lessons learned regarding the catastrophic Four Mile Canyon Fire. (Photo: satellite image of the Four Mile Canyon Fire perimeter. Green and black indicate burned areas. White spots are destroyed homes. Credit: DigitalGlobe)
Topic: Communications / Outreach Fuels treatment / Prescribed fire Wildfire Type: Success Story / Lessons Learned
Jan 04, 2018
On the morning of September 2, 2010, the Four Mile Canyon Fire ignited in the Rocky Mountain Foothills, just west of Boulder, Colorado. Eighteen hours later, 168 homes were destroyed, and over 6,000 acres had burned. For me, what started as a… Read More
-
Meet Austin Fire Department's Wildfire Fuels Mitigation Crew. They work to help residents living in Austin's wildland-urban interface live more safely with wildfire. Photo credit: Nia Henry, Austin Fire Department
Topic: Fuels treatment / Prescribed fire Type: Interview
Dec 27, 2017
Not all fire departments have a wildland fire division. How did yours evolve? As Travis County has expanded into previously rural areas, more of our residents have moved into the wildland-urban interface, or the WUI. As the name… Read More
-
Topic: Fuels treatment / Prescribed fire Learning networks Planning Resilience Wildfire Wildfire recovery Type: Success Story / Lessons Learned
Dec 21, 2017
2017 has been a big year. Natural disasters, including wildfires, struck numerous communities. Technology evolved in novel ways. A total solar eclipse occurred. Bitcoin became the talk of the town. Fidget spinners went viral and out of style. By… Read More
-
Lenya gives us a refresher on the science behind why some homes burn more readily than others, with a reminder that even the most knowledgeable practitioner can always do more. Modification of photo by U.S. Department of Energy shared via Flickr Creative Commons
Topic: Defensible space / Firewise Ignition-resistant home construction Wildfire Type: Research Synthesis
Dec 19, 2017
I was nine years old when my dad’s family home burned in the Oakland Hills Fire. As a country kid from one of the most fire-prone counties in northern California, I was no stranger to wildfire. Still, I remember the shock of driving through his… Read More
Editor's Note: All blog entries are reviewed and edited for length and clarity by Network staff before approval for posting.