Birth defects are a leading cause of infant mortality and an important contributor to childhood and adult morbidity. Major structural birth defects are diagnosed in 2 to 4% of infants in the United States. Environmental contaminants, including air pollution, have been suggested as potential risk factors for these anomalies.
Disaster recovery after wildfires is often framed as rebuilding to restore communities to their pre-disaster condition. We argue that recovery following a disaster can also function as a mechanism of spatial governance that produces exclusionary development by shaping who is able to return.
Modifying activities and restricting access through regulation are valuable mechanisms for reducing human-caused wildfire ignitions. Fire stage restriction policies implemented during periods of high fire risk entail three tiers of increasingly restrictive rules intended to prevent ignitions, culminating in forest closures.
As climate change drives more frequent and intense wildfires, the revitalization of Indigenous fire stewardship grows increasingly urgent. This paper examines the Karuk Tribe's experiences with settler colonialism and their efforts to restore cultural fire stewardship in the wake of the 2020 Slater Fire, which burned 157,000 acres of Karuk ancestral territory.
Burned area and wildfire damages in the western United States (WUS) have increased dramatically in recent decades. Wildfire frequency, however, has shown trends that vary by data set, region, and fire size.
Decision support tools play an important role in determining how to strategically allocate limited wildfire risk reduction resources. However, common decision support tools generally do not account for socioeconomic or demographic characteristics which influence community vulnerability to wildfire, resulting in potentially biased risk reduction investment strategies.
Maps are an essential tool to inform fire governance and management. For instance, they can highlight which areas are most vulnerable to adverse fire impacts or be used to plan interventions for risk reduction and prevention. In recent years, several studies have mapped the fire management activities and the networks between the multitude of involved actors.
The increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of wildland fires is a significant source of air pollution that can impact perinatal outcomes. This study assessed associations between wildfire fine particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) and adverse birth weight outcomes among singleton term births in California for 2007–2018.
Efforts to understand, assess, and address diversifying recovery needs have growing relevance as wildfires continue to impact communities. However, little is known about social experiences navigating gaps in assistance funding and support or “unmet needs” in post-fire spaces, particularly for indirect impacts like smoke damage.