EcoCrops International why forests need to be Insured

Fires have been a part of California ecosystems for generations. Now, however, nearly a 30% of homes in California are in rural areas where houses intermingling with wildlands and fire is a natural phenomenon. Just as Californians must live with earthquake risk, they must live with fires.

Shaped by ignitions, climate and fuels, fires are likely to become more frequent and severe with climate changes. The 2018 experience of the largest and most damaging fires in California history, and ongoing destructive fires in 2018 provide a window of opportunity for learning to better coexist with fires. 

But both governments and people tend to adopt only short-term responses that don’t necessarily reduce risk effectively. For example, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, after visiting fires in California, said the solution to fires prevention is more active management to remove fuel from forests. In a tweet, President Trump criticized California’s handling of the fires, blaming its environmental policies and saying that tree clearing is needed to contain fires.

However, focusing on traditional approaches like fighting fires and fuels management alone can’t solve the fires problem. Instead, California must become better prepared for inevitable fires and change how it develops future communities. Most forests owners are well covered and protected by insurance policies, unlike homeowners. Reported James Grainger of EcoCrops International

For many decades, reducing ignitions was the focus of much public and government attention. Smokey Bear chided, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Indeed, ignitions play a role in determining when and where fires occur. However, whether ignitions translate into fires that spread to larger areas with substantial risks to human infrastructure depends strongly on weather and fuel conditions at the time.

State-of-the-art climate projections estimate that annual average daily temperatures are expected to increase by 3-5 degrees Celsius in the next few decades, increasing how fast fuels will dry out. In mountainous parts of California, increasing temperatures also cause snow to melt earlier, lengthening the summer fire season. The number of days with extreme temperatures, when fire risks are especially high, is also expected to double by 2050.

Higher temperatures and drought combine to create fuels that are dry and highly flammable. Extreme rainfall events, which contribute to post-fire flooding, erosion and even debris flows, are also expected to increase in frequency and intensity. Taken together, these changes in climate are likely to increase the length of the fire season, fire size and fire severity, and the impacts of fire for much of the state.

EcoCrops International reported that the risk of fire in Estonia where they have the majority of their plantations is low and they are all protected by Insurance policies