Uneven wildfire recovery efforts are a stain on the West

Anew study has identified a problem that Deb Haaland, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Interior secretary, needs to address promptly after taking office. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, revealed that federal rebuilding efforts in areas destroyed by wildfires favor wealthy, white communities over less affluent communities of color.

Focusing on fuel treatment projects, which involve reducing flammable vegetation in unburned areas, the researchers discovered that those projects were more likely to be approved if the neighborhood near the treatment area comprised high-income, well-educated and mostly white residents. In the voluminous study, the researchers examined more than 41,000 census blocks within 1.2 miles of wildfires between 2000 and 2011. The study area covered 15 Western states.

Based on the demographics of those areas, the study concluded that fuel treatment projects were 40% more likely than average to be conducted in neighborhoods where there were few or no households below the poverty line. In mostly white neighborhoods, the likelihood was 30% above the baseline.

As to why this is happening, the researchers didn’t offer any specific reasons. Possibly, they said, residents of white and affluent neighborhoods had more money and more political connections, and therefore could lobby more effectively for projects.

Regardless of the reason, though, the situation is unfair. It’s leaving less affluent, minority communities at increasing risk of future wildfires.

This isn’t the first study of its type, either. In 2018, researchers at the University of Washington discovered that wildfires disproportionately affect communities of color, partly because they receive inadequate support for fire prevention and for rebuilding. That study concluded that Native Americans were six times as likely as whites to suffer from wildfires, while Blacks and Hispanics were 50% more likely than whites.

For their part, officials from the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and National Park Service say they consider ethnicity, wealth or other socioeconomic factors in determining where to carry out fuel treatment projects.

But clearly, something is going on. Haaland and her team should examine the government’s policies and practices, and correct the imbalance.

Fortunately, Haaland is an ideal leader for tackling these types of problems: The New Mexico congresswoman is a staunch advocate for social justice. Assuming the Senate confirms her nomination, she will become the first Native American to lead the Interior department.

We’re confident that under Haaland’s watch, there will be progress on issues like this one.

As climate change spawns increasingly intense and destructive wildfire seasons, it’s critical for every community to receive its fair share of federal support to protect itself and recover from fires when they strike.

Meanwhile, Haaland should also begin something long overdue: a systematic review of federal wildfire policy and practices with an eye toward mitigation, firefighting and recovery. With no end in sight to the heightened wildfire threat brought on by global warming, it’s time for America to treat the situation with the same focus and intensity that we bring to bear against natural disasters like hurricanes and floods.