BIPOC Sustainable Transportation Initiative Program

Wildfires are burning hotter than ever, devastating landscapes and communities. But reforestation can lead the way back.

In 2018, California faced a wildfire season unlike any before it. The Camp and Carr Fires alone scorched nearly 300,000 total acres – an area larger than New York City and San Francisco combined.

But these fires didn't just consume forests. They destroyed homes and communities, leaving lasting scars on both the landscape and the people who call it home.

Wildfires in California have become more than just seasonal anomalies and are now year-round threats fueled by rising temperatures, prolonged drought, and decades of forest mismanagement. The increase of fires has led to the need for human action. What's lost and what's been replanted continues to grow – making the need for reforestation more urgent than ever to restore balance to our ecosystems.

The Cost of Wildfires

The Camp Fire alone claimed 85 lives and nearly leveled the town of Paradise. Depending on them, it's about destruction in the area. Just a couple of days after, the Carr Fire tore through Shasta and Trinity counties, killing eight people and reducing entire neighborhoods to ash. The economic toll of these fires exceeded $16 billion – but the true cost of personal and environmental loss defies numbers.

"People lost their lives. The human toll was historic," said Danielle Lindler, who witnessed the Camp Fire firsthand. "This is an event that has changed these communities forever. People I know are literally running for their lives – broken ankles trying to run through brush and jumping over fences."

Even for professionals with decades of experience in wildfire response, like Danielle – who is the chief of California's forestry industry – the scale was shocking.

Beyond the human loss, the landscape itself was irrevocably altered.