AST August 2018 Magazine Aug 2018 Final (8.14.18) | Page 57

Already,
California has
Volume 26
taken steps to reduce risk.
It has tightened defens-
es with tougher building
codes and mandatory fire
prevention fees in rural
areas.
August 2018 Edition
It has created hazard maps
that define high-risk areas.
More people know about
evacuation routes and the
importance of creating defen-
sible space.
But much more must be
done, say experts.
In future planning, cities
should encourage smarter
development, discouraging
sprawling new subdivisions in fire-prone areas
and instead favoring higher-density construction
in cities and established neighborhoods, said Dick
Cameron, who leads the Land Programs science
team in The Nature Conservancy’s California
Chapter.
Stephen M. Strader of Villanova University
They could consider requiring buffers, such as irrigated
agriculture, golf courses or orchards.
They also could consider the transfer of development
rights from high-risk to low-risk areas.
If we continue on our current trajectory, Califor-
nia will add another 645,000 homes in ‘very
high’ wildfire severity zones by 2050, according
to his team’s 2014 study, published in the jour-
nal Land Use Policy.
“Now is the time to do smarter, stronger land
use planning,” Mortiz said, “so our future com-
munities are not as vulnerable.”
See CALFIRE’s checklist on how to help protect
your home against the threat of wildfire.
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