We do not often talk about the benefits of wildfires. Environmental scientists say that some plants and animals depend on periodic wildfires for ecological balance. Dr. Cintra Agee, College of the Redwoods’ Native American Studies faculty member, teaches our students that fire played a significant role in the heritage and cultural traditions of the native tribes in our area. Before the modern settlement of the American West, forested land in our region burned naturally from lightning or was intentionally burned by native communities as a form of forest maintenance or to clear land for agriculture. But for the past hundred years or so, most Western states have suppressed fires. That has led to increasingly dense forests and ample brush on the forest floors.
The idea that forest suppression efforts, along with climate change and higher temperatures, contribute to the increase and severity in wildfires in the West has been a topic of debate for a few years. We can remember the disagreement former President Trump had with Gov. Newsom in 2020 about the driving forces behind California’s wildfires. Trump asserted that poor forest management was the cause while Newsom pointed to climate change as the main cause. Interestingly, research from scientists at several leading universities confirms the importance of both factors in driving wildfires.
Regardless of the source of wildfires, they affect regions everywhere, causing widespread destruction and displacement. This year, several fires have spread across 8,000 acres and caused the evacuation of 4,000 people in Colorado. In Oregon, multiple fires are burning, with the largest covering approximately 459 square miles, and high temperatures increasing the threat of further spread. As Californians, it’s increasingly likely that we know someone affected by wildfires. The current Park Fire, the fourth largest in California’s history, has burned about 400,000 acres, destroyed 564 structures, and forced over 25,000 people, including my own family in Shingletown, to evacuate their homes. With over 3,400 square miles burned by large wildfires across the western United States, and specific fires like the Park Fire impacting thousands of residents, the ripple effects are felt far and wide
As with all extreme weather, wildfires in the Western United States are worsening. They are growing larger, spreading faster, reaching higher, and getting more intense, killing a greater number of trees and eliminating entire patches of forest. An analysis from Climate Central shows that fire weather seasons are becoming longer and more intense since the 1970s, particularly in the western United States (https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/longer-more-intense-fire-weather-seasons). Concurrently, the San Francisco Chronicle reports critical staffing shortages in the U.S. Forest Service, with nearly 1,000 fewer firefighters since 2020, leaving essential equipment idle and hampering wildfire response efforts. (https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/federal-firefighter-shortage-19565303.php). Because of this, California will be looking to hire 11,000 more firefighters in the coming years. (https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/federal-firefighter-shortage-19565303.php).
In response to these growing challenges, College of the Redwoods has taken the proactive step of expanding our Fire Technology program by hiring former Humboldt Bay Fire Chief Sean Robertson as a full-time faculty member. Our one-semester program prepares students to be immediately hired by local agencies, and in past years all of our graduates have been hired immediately after finishing. The program will train future firefighters in the latest industry principles, tactical operations, fire safety, and hazard identification and correction. Assistant Professor Robertson and his fellow Fire Technology faculty members will bring real-work expertise from roles that have included firefighting, fire services management, and hazardous materials operations.
Under Assistant Professor Robertson, our program is set up to provide students with a Fire Technology certificate that will give students the tools they need to be employable by Cal Fire and other firefighting agencies and make an immediate impact on local and state firefighting capability. The administration is committed to providing Assistant Professor Robertson with the resources he needs to create an associates degree, partner with our EMT and Paramedic programs, and gain state accreditation.
In addition to our educational efforts, it’s vital that we urge our elected officials to take climate change seriously and explore traditional land management practices. These methods, such as controlled burns, have proven effective in maintaining forest health and preventing the devastating, hard to control, wildfires we’re currently experiencing. By combining these time-tested practices with modern science and implementing strong climate policies, we can better mitigate wildfire risks and protect our communities.
