Western climate fires

The extent of the fires sweeping through the west this summer is sobering. As I perused an interactive map published by the New York Times earlier this week, zooming in and out on fire after fire, it dawned on me that several locations I have visited for recreation or traveled through in just this calendar year – in multiple states even – have now burned in the summer fires.

The extent of wildfires in the western US on 15 Sept 2020. Map from InciWeb.

During April, in one of my first hiking excursions since the coronavirus lockdowns began, with my daughter I hiked among and photographed flowers and oaks along the western shore of Lake Berryessa in Northern California. In the LNU fire to tear through that area this summer, most of the western shore of the lake burned. In fact most of the coast range hills down to Interstate 80 between Vacaville and Fairfield have burned.

Oak woodland and blooming lupines during April 2020 on the western shore of Lake Berryessa.

To the east of Lake Berryessa is a hiking location I visit often, the Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve. It is a teaching and research reserve operated by the University of California, Davis but is open to the public for hiking. Like other places in California was closed for a time due to the coronavirus pandemic. Within a short time of opening back up this summer, I briefly hiked there on a warm day. Signs of a fire several years ago were still evident on the landscape, particularly on the western side of the canyon, but smaller shrubs and smaller plants have recovered. According to the maps though, it appears the whole canyon has burned again.

Also succumbing to the same complex of fires was an area to the northeast of Lake Berryessa, a hiking place I only discovered this spring in my search for more local hiking areas during the pandemic. Valley Vista Regional Park is a small county park located near the scenic Cache Creek and California highway 16 and it features grasslands and lovely oak woodland. This whole area too, it according to the maps has burned.

Oak woodland at Valley Vista county park earlier this year.

The extent of the LNU complex of fires in northern California during summer 2020. Asterisks mark approximate locations I had been hiking at earlier times in 2020. Map from InciWeb.

Finally, on my road trip through Wyoming and Colorado this July, I spent a night camping, and few enjoyable hours hiking in the Roosevelt National Forest north of Rocky Mountain National Park. I hiked into the Comanche Peak Wilderness near the headwaters of the Cache de Poudre River, a lovely valley of aspens and conifers. Virtually the whole wilderness was covered by a large fire.

The Roosevelt National Forest in July 2020. At left: Cache de Poudre River; at right: a grove of aspens. 

The Cameron Peak fire extent in the Roosevelt National Forest. Map from InciWeb.

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We increasingly see signs that climate change is here now. It is not just a phenomenon modeled to occur in the future. While scientists are often reluctant to attribute any specific natural disaster to changing climate, it is becoming more clear with each passing year that we may be entering uncharted territory. In the bigger picture, warming seas are making Atlantic hurricanes more intense. Sea-level rise due to warming and glacier melt is increasing the frequency of nuisance flooding in American cities. And for the last several years in the far western US, the fires have become worse and worse.

The summer fires of 2020 – some call these climate fires – have been everywhere in the western US. In addition to the very places I hiked or photographed or camped in this year, other western landscapes have burned. The beautiful, remote coast of Big Sur: a major fire. The Mendocino National Forest: a massive complex of fires that is still burning. The gorgeous Oregon Cascades: fires so bad they sent air quality levels in Portland and the Willamette Valley to extremely hazardous levels making the region have the worst air quality on Earth for a while. In the Sierra Nevada: several large fires. And northeast of Los Angeles, east of San Diego, and in eastern Washington: more fires.

With each passing year the most pressing question is less about the science and impacts of climate change (although science will always be crucial to monitoring, predicting, and responding to climate change), but rather whether society sees the accelerating pace of change and wants to seriously do something about it. Without reducing carbon inputs into our atmosphere, our future may becoming increasingly uncomfortable, costly, and even deadly.

Burned oak woodland just south of Interstate 80 near Vacaville and Fairfield in northern California. Photo: 16 Sept 2020.