Wildfire experts, news and resources
Stanford scholars are investigating the causes, consequences and solutions connected with increasingly deadly and destructive wildfires in the western United States and beyond. Experts are available to discuss the intersections of wildfire and climate change, public health, insurance, and more. Details are below, along with recent news, discoveries, media coverage and events exploring wildfire risk factors, response, recovery and community resilience.
Recent News
CA Burning: LA Fires, climate & insurance
In this episode of the Stanford Legal podcast, Professor Deborah Sivas joins Pam Karlan for a discussion on California's fire crisis, examining how climate change and urban development are making residents more susceptible to the dangers of fires.
Expert Q&A: Assessing wildfire health risks
Stanford experts spanning the fields of environmental science, medicine, and public health discuss what we know about wildfires’ health impacts, what remains a mystery, and how communities can better protect themselves from the increasingly common threat.
Wildfire protection: social & economic disparities
Low-income communities in California are at a greater risk of suffering the consequences of wildfires – also because they are less well protected. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team at the University of Freiburg and Stanford University.
Preparing legislative staff to craft wildfire solutions
The Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment recently hosted a first-of-its-kind “boot camp” in which congressional staffers got a crash course from experts in climate, forestry, fire science, utilities, insurance, and other wildfire-related topics.
Find an Expert
For assistance reaching scholars, contact Rob Jordan at rjordan@stanford.edu, or Chris Black at christineblack@stanford.edu
Michael Wara
Michael Wara focuses on climate and energy policy, with a special focus on California law and policy concerning wildfires and the utility industry, the firefighting workforce and insurance industry.
Chris Field
Chris Field focuses on the global carbon cycle and environmental risk reduction – including fire risk and frequency – to inform more equitable approaches to wildfire management.
Lisa Patel
Lisa Patel, M.D., is the lead author on Climate Resilient Schools: A Call to Action, a report detailing wildfire impacts on children’s health that has informed legislation in California.
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, a psychologist, has focused on the impacts of natural hazards and extreme events on individuals and communities coping with hurricanes and wildfires.
Wildfire Media Coverage
Site news
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Scientists study how beavers' dams create green firebreaks in wildfire-prone areas
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Smoke from wildfires is now causing nearly 700 deaths a year in the U.S., according to new research. Marshall Burke said the "evidence linking climate change to burned areas was 'rock solid,'" but "'linking burned area to smoke is trickier because you never know exactly which way the wind's going to blow.'"
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A new study finds that just 21 fossil fuel companies are responsible for $28 trillion in global climate damages. Their emissions have worsened heatwaves, droughts, and economic losses around the world. The findings strengthen calls to hold top polluters financially accountable.
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Michael Wara says California "wants to spend as little money on wildfires as possible," but in reality, "taxpayers, ratepayers, insurance premium payers" will have to spend that money.
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Federal agencies are removing topsoil from burned areas but will not test it for contaminants. So scientists and residents are testing fire-affected properties themselves.
Videos
Catch up on wildfire-related policy briefings and interviews with Stanford experts.
Recent Wildfire Events
Wildfire Research Projects
Wildfire Policy
Michael Wara, Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program, and other Stanford researchers are working with state officials and stakeholders to inform wildfire policy and understand the role utilities play in catastrophic wildfires.
Prevention Treatment
A preventive treatment developed by Stanford researchers led by Eric Appel involving an environmentally safe gel-like retardant provides season-long protection against wildfire ignitions.
Zombie Forests
California’s zombie forests — forests established under a prior climate regime now out of climate equilibrium — represent a critical, and as yet unaccounted for, high risk factor for catastrophic wildfire.
Estimating Wildfire Risks
Marshall Burke, professor of Earth System Science, and colleagues bring together data on the changing risk and societal burden of wildfire in the U.S. and use satellite data and statistical modeling to estimate indirect mortality.
Health Impacts of Wildfire
Researchers at Stanford's Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research and scholars from the Climate and Energy Policy Program study the health impacts from wildfire smoke.