A New Focus on Forest Management for Preventing Devastating Wildfires

Every year, more wildfires become prominent in California as climate change and many other factors work together to bring devastation. Successive years of fires have now wreaked havoc across California. Now, last week, a plan was announced to increase the removal of dead trees and other forest management ideas with the National Guard’s help to prevent more of these devastating wildfires from taking place across California.

All of these efforts come after the destruction of Paradise, a city that homed 27,000 people and where 86 people lost their lives in November 2018 when the Camp Fire started, allegedly due to negligence on behalf of PG&E. In 2017, a blaze started across the state that took the lives of 22 people and destroyed more than 5,500 structures around wine country in Santa Rosa.

These new projects are a step in the right direction, as lawmakers and entities believe that they would reduce the wildfire risk to more than 200 communities across California. CalFire says that these efforts include removing dead trees, clearing vegetation, creating fuel breaks, and more. The projects put high-risk areas at the top of the list so that these areas can be made safe before another wildfire event starts. These include areas such as Redding, where a wildfire devastated the state last year and in Butte County, where Paradise was devastated in late 2018.

Others believe that methods to prevent wildfires should be executed such as focusing on clearing brush around homes and ensuring that their roofs and attics are safe from embers. Many people believe that home protection is the way to go to save lives and structures from burning to the ground when these traumatic events take place.

California’s Worst Year for Wildfires 

It was reported that 2018 was California’s worst year for wildfires when it comes to the burning of structures and all the lives that were lost due to the wildfire. Lawmakers and other officials have reported that, in all of state history, there has never been a year where so many lives were taken away at the hands of a deadly fire than this past year alone. It was reported that over 100 lives were lost, 17,000 homes or other structures burned to the ground, and many injured due to the impact of the wildfires. With civilians and firefighters being injured or losing their lives, much must be done to prevent these incidents in the future at all costs.

Another reason why these deadly wildfires breezed through entire towns is because California experienced a seven-year drought, putting them at the top of the list when it comes to deadly wildfires. With over 147 million dead trees across the state of California, firefighters struggle to retain control over these serious blazes. Many people believe that climate change and other factors have contributed to these fires happening with intensity.

Researchers took a close look at climate model simulations to find that there has been a changing of fire severity at different locations based on what scientists have discovered through studying tree rings. Over time, many aspects have changed as, in the 20^th Century, California saw many wet winters that would lead to lower wildfire activities in the summer. In the early 1900s, it was reported that this changed. Now, we have rising temperatures to deal with due to alleged climate change and deadlier results for those living in California as a result. Scientists now believe across California, we could experience fires of the same intensity as the ones that we experienced in 2018 at any given time. This means heeding to preventative care and keeping our state safe from harm once more.

There is also a growing concern that every year, the fires get more intense and larger than the year before. As a result, we must work to take a closer look at how we can build structures to be better than before and save them from falling victim to these horrific fires.

Costs Becoming Higher 

One of the aspects that are being considered in wildfire prevention is the fact that the costs of these fires are getting more intense every year as well. It is believed that California wildfires are costlier than ever before. Putting out fires across the state not only leads to damages to the forest itself but puts high demands on the state when it comes to firefighting services and the need for expensive equipment. There are also the growing costs that are associated with rebuilding.

The Camp Fire itself has shown its expenses loud and clear with upward of $19 billion in damages to homeowners, insurance companies, and more. With insurance premiums already on the rise, many individuals wonder how they will continue to afford them and might not know how they can move forward.

So, who will pay for these expenses? In short, the individuals who live in California will suffer from rate hikes and being left to pay their premiums and start the rebuilding process on their own. However, there is still the looming investigation that shows that PG&E will most likely be found liable for the Camp Fire of 2018 and be left to take care of much of the destruction it left behind. PG&E is fully prepared to accept liability in the midst of this incident with the possibility that they will be left to take care of damages. However, with PG&E’s recent bankruptcy filings, it is uncertain what the future might hold.

At Marlene Leiva Law Group, our experienced wildfire attorneys are here for you if you have fallen victim to the horrific Camp Fire by receiving serious injuries or losing a loved one. As lawsuits move forward against PG&E, you might wonder what options you have. Please contact us for more information at 415-459-7300.