Connecting the Ecological and Socio-economic Determinants of Wildfire Vulnerability in California
Open AccessWildfires have become an increasingly prevalent problem worldwide, affecting more places both directly through burning and indirectly via smoke. California, the most populous U.S. state, has long experienced naturally occurring wildfires. However, human-induced fires have become more common due to factors such as climate change and housing development in fire-prone areas. Not everyone experiences fire in the same way – factors such as poverty, age, and housing structure render certain populations more vulnerable. This paper compares wildfire vulnerability across census tracts in Lake and Napa counties in northern California. The counties offer contrasting socio-economic profiles despite similar fire probability. Bridging physical variables that cause wildfire and socio-demographic factors, this paper creates a multi-criterion index that assesses each census tract’s wildfire vulnerability. In-depth interviews with local officials and landowners were also conducted to provide qualitative insight into the findings. The data show that the relationship of communities to wildfire ranges on a spectrum from resiliency to vulnerability. Those with fewer resources, social networks, and who live in dry and wooded areas are disproportionately susceptible to wildfire. The index found that the most highly vulnerable census tracts were in eastern and northern Lake County, while the Napa Valley itself was comparatively fire resilient. Particularly, the city of Clearlake and eastern Napa County were highlighted by multiple interviewees as being especially vulnerable and also received a high vulnerability index score. Through analyzing social and biophysical data both quantitatively and qualitatively, this research hopes to inform policy in California and in other regions vulnerable to wildfire.
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