The Future of Wildfires

The recent wildfires in California have sparked concern with homeowners and renters in fire prone areas. With wetter winters and drier summers, the California landscape becomes the perfect fuel for wildfires. To understand property risk, we need to assess the past, present and future of wildfires and how climate change will help us predict how to prepare for the future.

How does climate change impact wildfires? Since the 1970’s, there has been a global increase in wildfires. With more than 400ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere today, we have seen melting ice caps, increased storm intensity, and higher frequency of natural disasters. Seasons have shifted due to the greenhouse effect, which has caused dry soil in summer and fall. Over the last few decades, the wildfire season has grown by 78 days and is expected to keep expanding.

What does this mean for the future of wildfires in California? Residents are already starting to see the results of climate change as the last three years were marked as the worst wildfire seasons recorded. For the future, scientists are predicting that all California residents are at risk of wildfires year around. Along with frequent storms, an increase in population is putting residents at higher risk as homeowners are building homes in fire-prone areas.

What should California residents do to prepare for the future? It is recommended that California residents develop a plan to reduce their exposure to fire by ridding their property of dead material, use fire-resistant building materials in their home, and using flame resistant vegetation on their property.

If a fire strikes, make sure to have a financial plan to recover and rebuild from fire damage. Check out how Chestnut can protect your home and family for as low as $5 a month. getchestnut.com