AST August 2018 Magazine Aug 2018 Final (8.14.18) | Page 50

New analysis by geographer Stephen M. Strader of Villanova University, who tracks popula-
tion Volume
growth in 26
high-risk areas, says we’re building subdivisions in harm’s way.
Takeaway: It’s not just increasing wildfire frequency and size that contributes to disaster.
Societal development in locations prone to wildfires is also rapidly amplifying.
Augus 2018 Edition
Why California Wildfires are Worse
than Ever: A People Problem
By Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News
Even as fires rage across California,
thousands of new homes are being
built deeper into our flammable foot-
hills and forests, as lethal as they are
lovely.
A recent surge in subdivisions in high-
risk wildlands is putting more of us in
harm’s way, say experts.
For millennia, wildfires just burned trees; now
they’re claiming homes, with heirlooms, pools,
family photos, pets, cars and precious lives.
“It’s the ‘expanding bull’s eye’ effect,”
said geographer Stephen M. Strader of
Villanova University, who tracks popula-
tion growth in high-risk areas.
“Cities are moving into regions where there
were no people before. People and wildfires
are coming together more often.”
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