The UC Davis WiReS Conference and Tradeshow took place from Tuesday, February 7th - Friday, February 10th, 2023. It was wonderful to have over 200 attendees, tuning in both in-person and virtually for this inaugural event. We were happy to have 54 Podium Presentations, including 5 Keynote presentations and panel discussions, and 85 inspiring speakers share their work and research with our attendees. We are also incredibly thankful for the 16 exhibitors that generously shared their knowledge and insights.

CALABASAS – At its first meeting in Southern California, the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force met today with local leaders across the region to discuss their top issues and priorities, and to showcase $70 million in new investments to support regional landscape and community protection programs. The new funding supplements state and federal investments of more than $500 million in Southern California during the last three years.

Funding is now available for a wide range of critical needs, from forest health and post-fire reforestation to workforce development and green school yards.

WILDFIRE PREVENTION GRANTS PROGRAM: Up to $120 million for projects focused on protecting people, structures, and communities.

FOREST HEALTH GRANT PROGRAM: Up to $120 million for landscape scale forest restoration and resilience projects.

In an expanded effort to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire through the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy, USDA Forest Service announced an investment of more than $490 million to protect communities, critical infrastructure, and forest resources across the western U.S.

The following California landscapes were selected for increased funding:

Wildfires are destructive and hazardous for communities worldwide. Research indicates the potential for wildfire destruction is increasing on a broad-scale, which is why it is necessary to take action now! According to a model built by the nonprofit First Street Foundation, nearly 80 million properties in the United States stand a significant chance of exposure to fire. Read below to learn more about the many ways to mitigate risk and improve your community, including:

Wildfires are known to be particularly problematic for people living in the Western United States, but fire activity is dramatically increasing in regions that are not typically associated with wildfires. 

Earlier this year, the New York Times published an article on the growing threat of wildfires, indicating the severity and frequency of wildfires will continue to have a widespread and worldwide impact.

What can we do to prepare our homes and reduce fire risk in advance? How are today’s engineers making infrastructure more resilient to climate change? In this Civil Engineering Magazine story, Dr. Michele Barbato discusses his work on compressed and stabilized earth blocks, and how they can be used to combat increasing wildfire risk throughout the U.S.