As climate change brings longer, more destructive fire seasons, the wine industry scrambles to protect vineyards from the dreaded taint of smoke. “The pandemic was an enormous challenge,” one insider says. “But now, without question, I think the threat of wildfire in many different ways is the greatest challenge of the day for the industry.”
Wildfires
Posted inBusiness & Technology
From mountain time to island time: Boulder Creek couple’s home spared but they started over elsewhere anyway
While Allen and Jill Clapp of the Bay Area indie band the Orange Peels had longterm plans to move to the U.S. Virgin Islands, it wasn’t until they were displaced from their Boulder Creek home/studio, assuming it was gone, that they mentally moved on. The event caused them to move up their plans. “I think we felt that in order to move forward with our lives, we were going to have to do something transformative,” Allen said.
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As California burns, some ecologists say it’s time to rethink forest management
Logging and thinning trees isn’t stopping wildfires, ecologists say. Focusing on homes can help avert more tragedies like Paradise and Greenville.
Posted inEnvironment
California builds a ‘Noah’s Ark’ to protect wildlife from extinction by fire and heat
As the Earth warms and the drought deepens, a network of biologists and conservationists are racing to rescue California’s most threatened species. “I can’t think of a single terrestrial ecosystem that’s not being stressed to the limits of its physiological tolerance right now,” one biologist says.
Posted inEnvironment
‘How much more of this can we take?’ Wildfires prompt air quality advisories in Northern California
Officials from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco have issued air quality alerts warning of hazardous conditions that could last into the weekend. The Santa Cruz area has seen its share of haze in recent days, but some clearing is expected Friday and into the weekend.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
A Big Basin rebirth: California’s oldest state park won’t be the same, but nature is assuring it will be back
A year after the CZU Lightning Complex Fire tore through 97% of the park, Big Basin is showing signs of new growth and enters into a new renovation phase. ”We’re going to be looking at how to make the park more resilient in the future,” says the local State Parks superintendent.
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Dixie fire races toward Susanville, forcing some residents to evacuate
The Dixie fire, the largest wildfire in California history, grew to 635,728 acres Wednesday and was threatening the town of Susanville. It has burned for more than a month, and containment remained at just 33%.
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PG&E starts planned power shutoffs to 51,000 customers as Dixie fire rampages
Roughly 48,000 customers in Northern California could lose power Tuesday night, the utility said, as forecasts called for fierce winds of up to 50 mph that could topple trees into energized power lines were forecast.
Posted inLatest News
Democrats demand Pentagon renew wildfire monitoring program
Democrats from California demand the Pentagon renew access to military satellite information to assist in monitoring wildfires.
Posted inEnvironment
PG&E threatens power shutoffs as Dixie fire rages in Northern California
Strong winds are expected to plague the Dixie fire burn area, which has exploded to nearly 570,000 acres in Northern California. PG&E has said its equipment might have sparked the Dixie blaze, which is the second-largest fire in state history.