UC Merced Magazine | Volume XIX, Issue VII

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home in Mariposa last year. “We are going to spend the rest of our lives learning how to manage it.” Under Human Control Equally concerning is what happens to communities destroyed by wildfire. Kolden and Sierra Nevada Research Institute project scientist Nicole Lambrou have been studying post-fire recovery and rebuilding in California, including the town of Paradise, where the 2018 Camp Fire destroyed 13,000 homes. T hey found that many people don’t rebuild a er a fire due to higher taxes and insurance costs.

Others who can a ord the higher costs move in, leading to gentrification and further exacerbating the state’s housing crisis. Many so-called “disaster refugees” move to cities or eventually out of the state. Ultimately, climate change will continue to exacerbate conditions that foster large, damaging fires, Westerling said, but we can exploit many other factors that are under human control to reduce the immediate risk to California communities. Kolden has seen what works to prevent home loss even under the worst fire conditions. Some actions are relatively simple, such as installing screens on attic vents and planting more fire-resistant landscaping.

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