Less stressed trees, supplied with a healthy water table are more resilient to wildfires. We face a drought in Arizona and have compounded that by using more water than provided by nature. Decreasing our water consumption will lead to less ground water pumping and raise our water table. We can also deposit water into our soils through techniques such as rainwater harvesting, greywater, stormwater management and employing the One-Water concept. By raising the water table we increase the health of trees which decreases wildfire’s health impact on humans.

We all love being in the forest for the sense of well being, reconnecting with nature and getting away from the urban setting. This movement has led to more communities near forests, wild landscapes and grasslands. Encroachment of humans towards forests leads to increased destruction of life and buildings. Limiting development in these areas and leaving these locations as wild places to visit instead of build, will limit the health harms. Forestry management resources should also be directed to those towns that do exist to help reduce risk by clearing materials and vegetation that is too close to houses and strategically thinning brush and trees.

Fire suppression was the dominant management technique for years but we have learned that natural burns are good for the ecosystem. Instead, we should employ managing fire risk approaches, understanding the need of some fire, by minimizing property damage and protecting people. As tough as it is to watch a section of forest burn, this may create actual firebreaks to prevent a fire from becoming a disaster.

Oil, coal and natural gas consumption leads to increased greenhouse gasses in our air which increases the temperature of our planet and supercharges the atmosphere. This increased energy leads to more lightning strikes and heat waves which dry out the forests and spark fires. Thus the forests are becoming more vulnerable to fires with a higher probability of occurrence with magnified severity and duration of the burn. In Arizona, transportation and energy production make up almost 90% of our fossil fuel consumption. Transitioning to renewable energy and sustainable transportation modes will decrease the health harms of wildfires.