Wildfires seem to be getting bigger, more frequent and more dangerous. Experts say that won’t change this season or next, unless the state and federal governments spend billions of dollars more on thinning forests and making California communities more resilient to fire. That would mean a big shift for foresters and firefighters who’ve spent the past century working to preserve timber and beating back the flames. But people who study fire say that shift in thinking is long overdue. We’ll talk about what it would take to rework how California manages wildfires and forests.
How To Keep California's Forests Healthy and Reduce Fires
52:43
President Donald Trump speaks to California Governor Gavin Newsom at Sacramento McClellan Airport in McClellan Park, California on September 14, 2020 during a briefing on wildfires. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Guests:
Craig Thomas, director, Fire Restoration Group
Lenya Quinn-Davidson, area fire advisor, UC Cooperative Extension
Danielle Venton, reporter, KQED Science
Scott Stephens, professor of fire science, the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley
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