wildfires ravaged new mexico and other western states in the 1970s to the point that coop characterized the burning as “one of the more extreme” fires of its time. hard to believe, but since then, the fires have only grown worse. coop watched as fires continued throughout his adolescence. each time a forest burned, it was changed forever. as he entered adulthood, coop wanted to understand why. eventually, the worsening fires caused more severe forest changes, forever altering the landscape around him. there was never doubt about the career path coop took. rather, only a nagging question about the wildfires: ‘what can we do about it?’ 

that’s what coop is pursuing now as a professor at western colorado university within the biology department and the school of environment and sustainability, where he is researching wildfires and their nature. after growing up in the fire-sensitive southwest, he aims to discover how forests rebound from the ongoing and escalating destruction of wildfires.

wildfire activity is growing in extremity and severity as climate change continues to warm the planet. in february, the united nations environment programme published a report warning of an increase in “extraordinary” wildfires and a “global wildfire crisis.” the unep predicts that by 2030, global wildfires will increase by 14%, and will reach a 50% increase by 2100. the report also prodded governments to redirect their spending towards a “fire ready formula,” which encourages “two-thirds of spending devoted to planning, prevention, preparedness, and recovery, with one-third left for response.” 

coop’s recently published study, “extreme fire spread events and area burned under recent and future climate in the western usa,” aims to help predict future wildfire extremity, which in turn, could support the preparation the unep recommended. 

the study, published in april, confirmed that “exceptional” wildfire seasons will become more likely in the future, and that future wildfire extremes are “predicted to exceed anything yet witnessed.” the researchers discovered that rare, single-day extreme fire events are massive contributors to overall fire effects and destruction.

in 2020, the western united states experienced several severe wildfires that made for an unforgettable year of destruction. in california alone, more than 4.2 million acres were burned — approximately 4% of the state’s land, according to the california department of forestry and fire protection (cal fire). about 10,000 fires burned over the course of the year, and cal fire determined 2020 to be the largest wildfire season recorded in modern california history. if fires continue to grow more intense, as the research predicts, finding a solution for containment is vital. 

“these very rare events that can happen very quickly have outsized impacts,” explained coop. “we found that just like the top 1% of single-day burning events, accounts for over 20% of the total area burned. so just those very few extreme fire runs have this huge disproportionate effect, in terms of setting trends of how much area burns every year.”

it’s important to understand the role that climate change has in igniting these fires. fire thrives on hot and dry atmospheres, and as the globe continues to grow hotter and drier, it becomes easier for fires to start and spread. this concept seems logical; however, there are detrimental cascading climate implications that scientists are grappling with, such as declining forest resilience, because of the destruction. coop pointed out some irony — scientists in the past have often used forest regrowth as an example of resilience in nature. 

“there’s kind of been this historical, let’s say, scientific paradigm, that a forest burns down a fire, and then it grows back … that sort of example, ecological scenario is… almost like the textbook study of resilience,” coop said. 

however, coop said, fires are growing more severe and may be beyond the capability of other species to adapt and respond to the increasing extremity. 

“there’s a lot of reason to think, ‘wow, these forests may not be able to withstand the kinds of changes that they’re experiencing’,” coop said.

other researchers studying the rebirth of forests also found similar grim outlooks for areas struck by severe wildfires. but even more alarming – there may be fewer trees that reroot in the scorched paths of wildfires, an implication that could further fuel climate change.  

retired firefighter turned scientist camille stevens-rumann was also drawn to the after effects of wildfires. as an assistant professor in the forest and rangeland stewardship department at colorado state university and assistant director for the colorado forest restoration institute, she studied forest resilience and authored the 2017 study, “evidence for declining forest resilience to wildfires under climate change.” her work surveyed several generations of forests’ regrowth and resilience using data from tree seedling presence and density. she discovered significant decreases in post-fire tree regeneration in the 21st century, which corresponded with higher annual moisture deficits than in previous generations. 

in other words, there are fewer opportunities for trees to survive in the post-fire environment, aligning with the research conducted by coop.

an important implication of declining resilience is that there will be fewer trees, stevens-rumann said. this fact has atmospheric consequences — less trees means more carbon in our atmosphere — as well as aesthetic consequences. 

“i think the big concern is that we all love trees, and we love them for a lot of reasons. you know, we love them for the carbon that they sequester, which can impact how much carbon is in the atmosphere,” said stevens-rumann. “we love them because they’re big and beautiful, and feel, you know, make us feel small sometimes. and they feel majestic.”

despite the seemingly inescapability of the wildfires stevens-rumann said we are actually in a fire deficit in the united states. 

“we haven’t allowed fires to burn, for the most part, for the last 100 years. and even today, when you see those big wildfires on the news and things like that, that’s only like 2% of the wildfires that start— the other 98% are effectively put out,” stevens-rumann explained. “we’re in a crisis, in part, because we try to stop them so much.”

a natural solution stevens-rumann suggested is to allow less intense, more manageable fires to burn across more acres instead of immediately putting them out. this practice might help the forests retain their resilience, similar to building stamina when exercising, which in turn could help forests rebound faster.

prescribed fire is another way fires can be allowed to burn in a controlled environment. prescribed fires are man-made fires that are created to make burning more manageable by reducing the fuels that might ignite fires later on. however, according to coop and stevens-rumann, these fires do come with a level of risk and limitation.  

“it’s a really big question like, what we should do to prepare for those from the community level up to that landscape management level? and what kinds of strategies are the most likely to protect us and protect the ecosystems and the watersheds that we depend on?” said coop. 

protecting and informing the community is an important driver of wildfire research and management. for the average person, experiencing a wildfire is a frightening experience, especially for visitors and new residents who are unfamiliar with the atmosphere and frequency of the fires. ally chadha, a rising junior at chapman university in orange, calif., evacuated last year when a wildfire burned within 15 minutes of her campus. 

“you could very clearly see smoke from all of the campus buildings,” chadha said. “i was back in my apartment building, and i could smell smoke coming in through the vents.”

when her parents urged her to evacuate, chadha, a connecticut native, escaped to nearby relatives where she sheltered for a few days. 

“it was definitely scary,” chadha said, although no one around her took it as seriously.

she said that there’s not a major sense of precaution around wildfires amongst her own circle, and that people tend to “follow the herd” when reacting to fires. 

“it feels kind of normal, almost. obviously, it’s not good to be smelling smoke through the vents, but there’s fires pretty regularly,” chadha said. “there’s not really much that i feel like people think they could do anyways.”

while the attitudes around wildfires in chadha’s circle have become normalized, coop and stevens-rumann are sounding the alarm as to why they are not to be taken lightly. scientists are continuing research to figure out the best ways to protect the community as well as what kinds of environments have stifled larger fires from happening. further solutions for protecting our communities are still in progress, but the scientists are racing the pace of climate change to discover the answers. 

“future extremes of wildfire are going to be far beyond anything we’ve seen so far,” coop said. “we need to really prepare ourselves.”

los angeles – the timing has been terrible for california farmworkers in 2020: wilting heat waves, wildfires spewing acrid smoke across the state and the persistent threat of covid-19. this triple threat looms large over the lucrative fall harvest of grapes and almonds, which for some seasonal laborers is the busiest time of year, until november.

kent e. pinkerton, a leading expert in farmworker health, has been worried about such a threat for a decade. the pandemic, which is expected to linger in california for months, could be an invisible killer in the fields.

“it is extremely difficult for those workers to be able to social distance themselves, and so i think it is incredibly important that the workers and those who are supervising the workers take into account some of the things that they can do to protect the workers from potentially becoming infected with coronavirus,” said pinkerton, who is the director of center for health and the environment and a professor at university of california, davis.

farmworkers say they’re vulnerable to the health effects of the novel coronavirus and wildfires, and have little means to seek treatment because many lack health insurance.

“unfortunately, we don’t have insurance, and that is one of the consequences we face as farmworkers. that is why we have to be prepared,” said veronica mota, a farmworker for 20 years and an organizer with united farm workers.

mota spoke about her children, calling them her motivation and inspiration. her daughter, who is in college and voting for the first time, is mota’s reminder to focus on herself.

“during high school, she was really into cross country, and she motivated me to have a will to live,” mota said. “when you live and work in this country, you get stressed and can stop taking care of yourself in a way. but when you look at your daughter and see that she runs and crosses a whole community, you say, ‘wow, if she can do this, so can i.’”

mota has worked in california, oregon and washington, all three affected by wildfires, and has experience picking all types of fruits and vegetables. the challenges of 2020 have created exceptional frustration and fear, she said.

“we feel abandoned and like we have no support. we work honorably, and if it weren’t for the work that we do, there wouldn’t be food on the tables,” mota said.

heat stress and exhaustion are detrimental and life-threatening side effects of hot weather – and often unavoidable. poor air quality harms everyone’s health, and farm work is time sensitive: waiting for skies to clear of smoke could mean a crop rots in the fields. but that type of exposure also can harm lungs and hearts, pinkerton said.

the coronavirus makes battling these threats even harder because keeping a safe distance while harvesting is nearly impossible.

“as advocates and an organization made up of farmworkers and their families,” said irene de barraicua of lideres campesinas, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of female farmworkers, “we know that they live in very crowded housing, we know that they carpool to work and we know that employers are maybe at times going to do anything they can to make it safer and enforce social distancing and maybe give masks … what they don’t seem to take responsibility for is that once their workers are leaving the workplace they see them gathering in groups or getting in cars together.”

testing positive for coronavirus strips undocumented workers of their income, particularly when they are forced to quarantine with family. without the stimulus check or california coronavirus aid to undocumented immigrants, which was first come, first served, many undocumented workers are left with little assurance. often, for fear of losing work, many workers whose crew may have a small positivity outbreak move to the next farm, de barraicua said.

from 2015 through 2016, 51% of all farmworkers had work authorization, according to the u.s. department of labor. of those 51%, 29% were u.s. citizens, 21% percent were legal permanent residents and 1% had work authorization through some other visa program.

california grew more than a third of the vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts in the country during the 2019 crop year, according to the california department of food and agriculture. the state accounts for more than 13% of the nation’s total agricultural value and is the leading state for cash farm receipts, according to the department.

in many parts of california, it is peak harvest season for the state’s leading crops. from the end of august through november, wine grapes, almonds and other mid-to-late season fruits are ready to harvest. in 2019, california’s top producing commodities were $6.09 billion in almonds and $5.41 billion in grapes, according to the california department of food and agriculture.

although big cities report bigger covid-19 numbers, 98% of american rural counties have reported positive cases and 75% have reported one or more deaths as of sept. 21, according to the national center for farmworker health. in nonmetropolitan areas, there have been 812,853 cases and 18,371 deaths reported as of sept. 22, according to data obtained from johns hopkins university.

fruits, nuts and vegetables are only part of california’s farming industry. one of the most significant coronavirus outbreaks among agricultural workers started on june 29 in livingston, where at least 392 employees tested positive and at least eight died due to the outbreak at the foster farms plant, according to the merced sun-star. due to more than 700 meatpacking and food processing plants experiencing outbreaks in the u.s., beef and pork production have declined by 40% during the summer of 2020, according to the national center for farmworker health.

in arizona, where the yuma area is a major producer of lettuce, the exact number of cases among farmworkers in yuma county is not reported, but “143 positive covid-19 cases in the county have occurred in or near farm labor camps,” according to the national center for farmworker health. overall, yuma county has reported 12,664 cases and 345 deaths as of friday, making it one of the top three counties in arizona for cases. one known outbreak happened on hickman’s family egg farm, in buckeye where five female prison inmates tested positive in june.

the pressure on these workers at the national level is tremendous, with demand for farm labor exceeding the actual number of farm laborers, said elizabeth strater, the director of alternative and digital organizing at united farm workers.

“given the context of the labor shortage, this time of year in california, especially when you are talking about high sensitivity or high investment crops like wine grapes, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on everybody’s part to get those crops in, regardless of what the air quality is like,” strater said.

many undocumented workers are afraid to be deemed essential workers, especially in counties hit hard by the coronavirus and wildfires. de barraicua said many of the undocumented workers she speaks with were scared to work for fear of having to show a police officer an essential worker letter from their employer.

lideres campesinas listed education surrounding the virus as one of the organization’s main concerns in its letter to the governor in april. this concern now extends to education about fires, heatwaves and smoke exposure. language and cultural differences often are barriers to health information, which is concerning because undocumented farmworkers typically are more vulnerable to poor health resulting from lack of access to care, de barraicua said.

mota, as someone who advocates for the rights of farmworkers and organizes events to spread awareness, said united farm workers has done everything possible to distribute the appropriate protective equipment and educate laborers on the best ways to stay safe.

the high levels of wildfire smoke along the west coast typically contain carbon based particles, and toxic materials or irritants might be in the smoke from the destruction of buildings and dwellings. pinkerton said all smoke can be “an irritant and potentially injurious to the lung.” eye and throat irritation, coughing and sneezing are symptoms related to particulate matter exposure.

properly fitted n95 masks offer the highest degree of protection against inhalation of the particles, pinkerton said. the maximum recommended use of n95 masks is eight to 12 hours, and they should not be worn for multiple work shifts, according to the centers for disease control and prevention.

labored breathing is a side effect of those wearing properly fitted n95 masks, and as the mask clogs with particles over time, it may become even more difficult to breathe, pinkerton said. he and other experts recommend work to be reduced to shorter time periods, and that it’s done in a nonstrenuous way.

mota said many farmworkers are not offered the proper equipment to do their jobs safely.

“because i work under a union job, it’s the union that brings those resources to the farmworkers, like me, to help us be protected in the work conditions we are in.”

the reuse of masks presents a significant risk of contact transmission from touching the surface of the contaminated respirator and can add additional discomfort to the worker when worn for too long, the cdc said.

the california department of food and agriculture directs farmworkers unable to obtain personal protective equipment to contact their county office of emergency services branch to provide information on lack of supplies.

mota, who has appeared in a campaign advertisement and has had a couple of encounters with california sen. kamala harris, who’s now the democratic vice presidential candidate, said farmworkers have received a lot of support from her.

“she focuses on the well-being of the farmworkers,” mota said.

mota also praised current california gov. gavin newsom’s state relief program to provide $500 to undocumented workers who were not eligible for federal stimulus funds.

strater said that united farm workers and harris emphasize that there is “no worker justice without climate justice.” the impacts of climate change may alter the path of agriculture’s future, including the lives of workers, even though weather has always been a concern.

with climate change there will be differences in agriculture, and among those different outcomes, a shift in the social population of workers may be one of the most intriguing. pinkerton explored the idea that workers might question their future in agricultural work.

“it could be a need to change the type of crop that is being grown, just simply because the weather is different than it has been in the past. there may be concerns about water use through droughts or desertification of lands that also creates some issues with agriculture,”  pinkerton said.

“i think also what we may see is a shift in the social population. the workers … where do they go? where do they find work?”

—

this story originally was posted at cronkite news, and features additional reporting. for more stories, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

every year, the santa ana winds bring chapped lips, dry hands, and wildfires. the hot wind fuels the flames, spreading fires up and over mountains, close to towns, and threatening homes and businesses. it was typical that the fire would be out within about a week, leaving scorched, blackened earth behind. it’s not until recently that fires rage on for weeks at a time, causing extended evacuations, widespread structure damage, and threatening the lives of many.

in the fall of my first year at college in d.c., my hometown saw some of the worst fires to date: the woolsey fire of november 2018. i had recently moved across the country and i was worried for my family. as the fires got closer to our home, i got the call that they would have to evacuate. 

for two weeks, my mother, father, sister, and two dogs were living in the cabin of a small boat that my family keeps. it was two weeks of worry and anxiety. there was a vacuum of information in our area, as no one was there to report on what was happening. we truly did not know if we would have a home to go back to. 

fortunately, firefighters quelled the flames and were able to stabilize the area. my family was able to return home, though they had no running water, electricity, or cell reception, as the infrastructure had been damaged in the fire. our neighbor, however, was not as fortunate, and their home burned, leaving only the chimney behind. even now, almost two years later, that empty lot is a constant reminder of the damage that can be done. 

the week after my family returned home was thanksgiving, when i flew home to smokey skies and a neighborhood that looked extraterrestrial. trees were blackened and barely standing. fences melted and scorched. hills white with ash. 

the woolsey fire ravaged my community for 56 days, destroyed 1,643 structures, including homes and businesses, and damaged another 341. wildfires create a horribly unique refugee situation within these communities, as many are rendered homeless and must choose to rebuild or relocate.

the 2020 fires are the state’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th largest fires and have burned over 3 million acres in california and killed at least 24 people as the fires spread along the west coast. this summer, california set record-breaking high temperatures, reaching up to 130 degrees f in death valley, according to noaa. year after year, california’s fires grow in size and bring even more extensive damage to buildings, homes, families, and communities. 

california, as well as oregon and washington, are experiencing the direct impacts of climate change. in the words of california gov. gavin newsom at this summer’s democratic national convention, “if you are in denial about climate change, come to california.” 

as reported by the new york times, newsom said, “california is america in fast forward. what we’re experiencing right now is coming to communities all across the country.”

nationwide, states have experienced record-breaking temperatures. summer 2020 is ranked as the fourth hottest for the u.s. — the second hottest for the entire northern hemisphere — and is the driest one-third of summers on record for the u.s., according to data from noaa. 

california should be viewed as an example to the rest of the country as to what will happen nationwide if we continue on our current course. change is needed, and it is not an individual effort, as we see in the california fires, but rather a collective one.

this podcast expresses the binding relationship between wildfires and their effect on the community such as their drinking water. steve is a community member in colorado and shared his firsthand experience about what happened back in 2018. these concerns tie closely with people’s civil right and should not be taken lightly because the serious issues that interconnect the community members and natural habitat in which we live in.

the wildfires in colorado create barriers to overcome, and journeys that withstand unfathomable measures. the emergency personnel along with family and friends who work together to create a fluid transition toward safer grounds shows the strength that is awarded with overcoming obstacles.

steve has lived through a traumatic experience where he guides the audience through the events he went through, the panic he endured, the plan he had to make, and the circumstances as well as solutions to these problems. the wildfires created an environment that not only caused many to relocate, but to become uprooted onto unfamiliar grounds in which they had to forcibly adapt.

the worst part about his experience was the uncertainty of the future and what it holds. families, the economy, and the environment were put against a fight that they could not win without losing some, if not a large portion of the most precious things in life. how to educate and inform his family, as well as himself was of importance to figure out how to continue onwards to safety.

economically, there were hotel vouchers and food tickets that were given to victims. that resonates with the audience. the people play a victim role but should also understand who truly helped to progress the issue toward such combative stages. for example, a simple natural part of the earth, water, was adversely affected by the occurrences of the wildfires. the direct impact during the wildfires could not be changed at that point in time, so proper safety concerns were addressed by steve during the interview. he mentioned to understand the relationship between communicating about current events and how it affects anybody, especially if they live in fire-prone areas. he admits that this should be considered when looking toward progressive steps of making sure future endeavors do not take up space that make cause harm. in a way, it is pre-conceived knowledge that members of society should consider when building the new infrastructure; the true foundation that people base their livelihoods on.

these foundations should expand in an environmentally friendly direction and provide and educate people as to what they should consider when they occupy parts of the world. the carbon footprint that they leave not only affects everybody within these areas of devastation, but for the neighbors who have to accept the newcomers having to migrate into their space; bringing along various traditions that now mix together for a cocktail of culture. this unification of people is good to help force proper communicative techniques to take place and quite literally show that it can directly and indirectly affect you and your loved ones; even strangers!

what there is to take away from this is, that you cannot predict the future fully, but you can help contain and protect the valuable resources that we were given at the start of life on earth and help to maintain and sustain it for future people. the best way to do this is through sharing information of how truly devastating these natural disasters can be, especially for a person like steve. there is a lesson to be learned; not everybody can see that they are affected by earth, but they can affect earth. to show them this is to show them how their everyday choices can alter backyards near and far, and for generations to come.  

the spray can be enabled or disabled, by remote control, in each segment of hose between valve boxes (which are shown in blue in the figure). the homes are orange, the pump is red, the streets are gray, and the water source is blue.

the hoses have a wire pair that is embedded in the hose walls. the wire pair supports an ethernet type of digital network that allows for the remote control of the valve boxes. the system would be inexpensive and can be seen at www.electric-fluid-pipeline.com.