The “Why California Burns” writer says using artificial intelligence to regulate weather patterns and how smoke affects populations will be needed.
Writer, illustrator and naturalist Obi Kaufmann shows works on illustrations for a field guide previously at his studio. Kaufmann draws from his frequent backcountry explorations and deep, abiding love for California.Atmospheric, hand-rendered watercolor ink maps and vignetted artwork enliven most pages of Obi Kaufmann’s new field atlas, “The State of Fire: Why California Burns.
Kaufmann is the author of five previous atlases, arguably, the most known of which is his best-selling “The California Field Atlas.” Published by Heyday in 2017, the 552-page award-winning volume peels back California’s layered landscape; revealing the state’s flora and fauna in 300 hand-painted maps and renderings.
“But there’s no severing the human body from the biosphere. Our physical bodies are dependent on its ecological services. And colonizing another planet would be like seeking a life boat and folly of the highest order.”“Fire is intimately tied to California. As a nutrient and disturbance vector, it is required. We’re forewarned, and so, as human stewards, we can be forearmed. Seeing fire as the enemy would be working at cross-purposes. We should be getting right with it.
Kaufmann’s frequent use in the book of the term “feral fire” as opposed to “wildland fire” is deliberate. Originally coined by Arizona State University emeritus professor Stephen Pyne, Kaufmann says he prefers its specificity and relevance. “It’s not a political manifesto, instead, it’s an exploration, a nuanced story of fire and its ecology. Our human identity forms the questions of what it means to live here and understand California’s natural rhythms. There’s room for better fire legislation, but governmental and all movements to change have to be informed by the better story being told.”
Humans interacting as students and learning from indigenous practices while developing new technologies and policies supportive of active stewardship is a key solution for moving forward.
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