Climate change is creating weather and forest conditions that allow fires to start more easily and spread much faster.
Wildfire, always a danger in the back of a hiker’s mind, is now at the forefront as climate change creates weather and forest conditions that allow fires to start more easily and spread much faster. Not only can flames tear through forest faster than a person can run, today’s stronger and more sustained winds allow forest fires to advance more rapidly and less predictably, sending embers ahead and to the sides that can ignite new blazes.
With mega-fires now occurring regularly in California’s mountains, backcountry hiking requires new levels of planning, preparation, attentiveness, and, perhaps, a gadget or two. Here are suggestions from experts on how to get ready, and how to stay safe: Check websites such as InciWeb for fire information and PurpleAir for air-quality information before, and if possible during, backcountry trips.Give friends and family your itinerary, always know your location, and pay close attention to your surroundings in case you need to retreat.Carry paper maps in addition to any digital maps or apps.
In burned areas, watch out for holes where trees once stood, along with falling trees and branches, and don’t hike or remain near standing dead trees if it’s windy.
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