ICYMI: UC experts convene to discuss innovative solutions to California’s wildfires
In case you missed it: On Friday, June 4, the University of California Research & Innovation office hosted the first wildfire symposium in a series of events discussing the challenges California faces from a longer wildfire season as a result of climate change and drought.
Wildfires have had a devastating impact on California over the last four years, and with the state in severe drought, another dangerous fire season looms.
Fires are burning hotter and growing bigger than ever before. The Castle Fire that raged through Sequoia National Park last year, for example, is estimated to have destroyed at least 10 percent of the world’s giant sequoias – trees that for thousands of years withstood less intense forest fires. California is on pace for another deadly year: In the first six months the Golden State has had more than 3,100 wildfires – and ‘fire season’ usually doesn’t start until late summer.
Against that grim backdrop, UC subject matter experts convened to discuss their research in areas of wildfire prevention and recovery, extreme drought, and climate change. The goal of the symposium was to inform the public about research-driven, innovative solutions to help address wildfires more quickly and ensure an equitable recovery to one of the biggest challenges facing California.
“As we all know, 2020 was a record-breaking year for wildfires in California. We had 9,639 in total, which burned 4.4 million acres and damaged properties to the tune of $16 billion,” said Theresa Maldonado, Vice President of Research and Innovation for the UC system and host of Friday’s event. “We know fires are going to happen every year, but when and where? Why? How large? What are the anticipated short-term and long-term impacts on our families, people, property, and communities; on our water quality and supply; on our air quality; on wildlife, our food supply, and our land? … Can we make predictions accurately, understand the complexity of these events, and develop science-informed strategies and solutions.”
A recap of the full day of events and a link to a video recording is available here. If you are interested in speaking to one of UC’s wildfire experts, please contact media@ucop.edu.