LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – After burning nearly 6000 acres of land, destroying over a dozen structures, and forcing people to evacuate, the Davis fire is now at 92% containment according to a Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue press release.

The risk of wildfires in these areas of northern California and Nevada are categorized as “relatively high” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But as years become hotter and drier due to climate change, fires become a more and more frequent risk. Wildfire experts from the University of Nevada, Reno share their research about how fires affect communities, forests, and what you can do to mitigate your risks.

Clearing the fuel

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Dr. Sarah Bisbing is an associate professor of forest ecosystem science and has been the director of the Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area for the last four years. As a lab director, she oversees researchers who work on forest management for both natural and populated areas. The areas that were affected by the fire actually have had treatments done to help prevent wildfire risk.

The three treatments that her team studies are resilience, resistance, and transition. Resistance is one of the major treatments that happens in the Tahoe area because it focuses on fuel reduction—clearing the trees that can cause fire to spread.

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“What we’ve seen in fires like the Davis fire, in areas that have fuel sources removed, is two effects: it allows the fire to move through forests with less fuel and provides an anchor point for fire protection,” said Bisbing. “Removing fuel sources is the only thing you can really control for as a human. We can’t control the weather, the humidity, where the fire starts—but removing fuel can really help.”

Bisbing pointed out that areas like Mt. Rose, Sky Tavern. White’s Creek, Thomas Creek, and Galena all had work done to remove fuel sources, either by chipping the old logs or utilizing prescribed burns—a historical practice of the Washoe tribe that has been brought back.

“Fire is really the only way to stop fire, because you have to spend that fuel source. So, if it’s done right, you protect the forest ecosystem and the surrounding environments,” Bisbing said.

Wildfires and managed fires were both far more prevalent in the past—in fact, evidence says that the Tahoe area used to experience fire every five to 20 years. But because of poor understanding and choices made in the past, the forest is far denser. Adding onto that, the air has become dryer than it was in the 20^th century, making fuel sources more likely to ignite and burn, making it far more likely for flames to spread.

“In the current state that we’re in, one of the best things to do to protect the forest is to reduce fuel,” said Bisbing. “For people like me who love the forest, we can sometimes see chippers or chainsaws or fire as the enemy. But managing forests is actually our way to make sure that we can keep these old-growth trees around for longer, to protect people, and to protect the forest.”

Where there’s smoke…

Dr. Matthew Strickland is a professor of epidemiology who studies the population level effects of air pollution—though he got his start in studying urban air pollution, the last eight and a half years he’s been at UNR have been focused on wildfire smoke pollution instead.

The Air Quality Index, which was primarily at the orange level for the Davis fire, is actually more suited to measuring the smog and urban smoke compounds. This is because currently, researchers don’t have equipment that is directly monitoring wildfire smoke: it’s harder to track where they’ll pop up when compared to known pollution hotspots like highways.

“Air pollution has gone down a lot since the 80s, even since the early 2000s,” said Strickland. “The Clean Air Act has really done a lot for that kind of pollution. But now, we’re seeing wildfire smoke pollution has gone up over time.”

Strickland’s research involves gathering data across different smoke events and using models of wildfire to understand exposure hazards for people. Though researchers have many long-term studies on urban pollution’s effects on people, researchers are still studying the effects of repeated exposures to wildfires.

Another complication is that the chemicals, particles, and compounds in a smoke plume can be very different depending on what is being burnt in the environment. “A scrub brush fire in Reno is going to have different chemicals and compounds than a fire in the Ponderosa pines of Tahoe,” said Strickland.

The health impacts of inhaling different kinds of smoke aren’t yet completely understood. But there is a higher risk for children, seniors, and those with respiratory or cardiovascular issues. Smoke inhalation can even contribute over time to developing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

But Strickland points out that there are steps you can take to mitigate your exposure and risk. He recommends using air filters throughout your home and ensuring that the filters inside are changed after smoke events. Strickland himself has several air filters that he uses in his household. Making sure that HVAC filters are regularly replaced also helps to minimize the particles and smoke entering your home.

When outside during smoke events, Strickland emphasizes that masks are helpful—an N95 mask is able to filter out harmful particles from entering your lungs. “Getting a handle on what your body can tolerate is important,” he said. Paying attention to how you personally are affected by the air quality can better inform you about what steps to take next to protect your health.

The Living With Fire program

Dr. Christina Restaino is an assistant professor and natural resources specialist along with being the director of the Living With Fire program. Living With Fire started in 1997 and Restaino became the director back in 2019. “The Davis fire hits close to home—we work closely with these communities who were impacted by the fire, as well as helping them to get resources about the fire and evacuation,” said Restaino.

Restaino said that the history of the area shows that it is prone to fire, from lightning strikes to the prescribed burns to increasing wildfires in the last decade.

The Living With Fire program works with many different agencies to communicate about fires as well as to identify areas that may need work done for preventing fires. Restaino emphasized that they strive to collaborate with local workers. “People who live and work in these areas know so much about what’s going on there. Their amazing knowledge along with using data analysis and modelling is really instrumental to our work,” she said.

Like Bisbing, Restaino works with fuel reduction, writing grants for different agencies to help fund the thinning of overly dense forests. She also spends time communicating with different agencies to coordinate efforts and keep communities informed.

“There’s not a one size fits all approach, but we’re doing our best to get communities to reduce fuel and make defensible space,” said Restaino. “We’re ultimately trying to mimic what nature and humans have been doing, which is managing the landscape.”

As for those affected by the Davis fire, Restaino says the Living With Fire program will be reaching out with community events to decompress and help people understand what to do after—especially for those whose homes were burned. Restaino will be recording a podcast episode of the Living With Fire podcast to engage people about what happened and present them resources. In March next year, she will be at the Fire Adapted Nevada Summit at the UNR campus, which she hopes will help engage with those communities affected by the Davis fire and others who want to stay prepared.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.