Center for Conservation Biology

In April 2025, 35 participants consisting of academic researchers and practitioners in environmental and fire management in California, gathered for a day long workshop to discuss the causes, consequences, and visions for adapting to a new fire regime in southern California. The workshop was hosted by the Center for Conservation Biology, through their partnership with the UC-wide Wildland Urban Interface Climate Action Network (WUICAN) and in collaboration with partners at the United States Forest Service (USFS). Through a series of panels and breakout discussions, experts mapped out the context and complexities of LA’s firestorms and pointed to some practical steps for moving forward. 

The significance of this event lies in its interdisciplinary composition. Bringing researchers and practitioners together is a crucial step in understanding and improving our fire management strategies, responses, and recovery protocols. Each individual and party in attendance represented one key perspective whose knowledge and experiences can help Southern Californians recover and move in future directions in the aftermath of the LA fires. 

During the opening of the first panel on consequences, one of the panelists recounted how many of the phone calls he received the day of the fire were from reporters asking if the fires were caused by climate change. As this workshop showed, there is more to the story. Experts noted the disaster reflected a combination of biophysical, societal, environmental and technological factors. 

A key focus of the panel on causes was the combination of “whiplash” weather dynamics--which describes the two years of increased rains and vegetation in the region followed by a dry winter thereby creating ample fuel--alongside the fact that most fires in the region are human caused, whether through arson, negligence, or accidental ignition. This combined with fragmented regulatory frameworks and outdated management practices laid the groundwork for the disaster. 

Attendees noted that the consequences of the LA urban fires will occur at multiple time scales. Some are immediate in the form of loss of life, displacement of communities, and loss individual property, but others will take time to emerge such as the toll of pollution to our waterways and the economic, structural, and equity challenges that come with rebuilding communities. Looking ahead, experts made it clear the path to resilience and prevention involves critical questions about the kinds of urban landscapes we want to create. This path involves engaging multiple stakeholders on these critical questions as well as in planning and implementation efforts. 

This workshop brought together practitioners and academic researchers and by doing so it showed several important insights. First, there is agreement among experts of the major unknowns are for future research. Second, the tools we use to manage fire in Southern California need to be evaluated to reflect lessons learned from this recent urban fire. Third, sustained and democratically driven community engagement will make a key difference in creating safer, more resilient urban environments. The 2025 Los Angeles firestorms were unprecedented. Yet if we can understand them, we can potentially change they we build new landscapes, support communities, and manage LA’s evolving fire regime.