Wildfire Awareness Month: Stepping up to the Challenge
May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and most of us living in the West are seeing a steady stream of important reminders to prepare for the increased risk that comes with the end of the rainy season. Wildfire is a fact of life in California: it is not a question of whether a fire will start, but how fast it will spread, how hot it will burn, how long it will last, and whether it leaves destruction or renewal in its path.
Working together, we can do much to prepare and make our communities and open spaces more resilient. The evidence is clear: actively managed forests with thinned understories can slow fire spread and preserve tree cover. Hardened homes with cleared space around their perimeters are more likely to survive. Informed, connected neighbors save lives.
WRA provides a suite of services that promote greater wildfire resilience. Working in partnership with local governments, fire departments, community based organizations, and fire safe councils, we:
- bring funding and support for defensible space and home hardening programs for private land and homeowners
- facilitate community forums and other engagement efforts related to wildfire resilience
- perform wildfire spatial services, data management, mapping, and risk assessments
- promote forest health with habitat restoration projects
- support CEQA and regulatory approvals
- complete fuel load reduction and defensible space projects
WRA provides wrap-around support for this vital work.
We coordinate with regulatory agencies to secure permits, pursue grants and other funding opportunities, integrate the latest research into project design, aggregate and analyze municipal and landscape data, create interactive maps and dashboards, and engage local communities in dialogue and action. We also provide the boots-on-the-ground implementation to maintain fuelbreaks, clear brush, remove diseased trees, replace weeds with native plants, install erosion controls, improve creek flows, protect wildlife, and promote healthier, more fire-tolerant conditions in our forests and woodlands.
All of us at WRA have been touched by uncontrolled wildfire, the work is deeply personal.
Contact us for resilience support!
Janet Klein
E: Janet.Klein@wra-ca.com
P: 415.730.2540
Stay tuned for more informational content in our Wildfire Awareness Month series!