Reducing the Destructiveness of Wildfires: Promoting Defensible Space in California

Sep 30, 2021 - Area Closest to Home Likely Most Important to Reducing Home Ignitions. Overall, existing research not only indicates that defensible space can play an important role in reducing home ignition and loss, it also suggests that the area closest to the home is likely the most important to preventing home ignitability.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4457

Frequently Asked Questions About Wildfires in California

Jan 28, 2025 - Besides placing more people and structures in locations with higher wildfire risk, increased development and activity in the WUI can also raise the chance of human-caused fire ignitions. Climate Change.  
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4952

Department of Toxic Substances Control: Performance Improvement Initiatives Merit Oversight

Apr 4, 2017 - The Hazardous Waste Management Program issues permits to facilities that manage waste that is toxic, corrosive, reactive, or ignitable. DTSC issues hazardous waste permits with a ten-year term, and each permit establishes specific conditions that a facility must meet in order to operate.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3644

The 2025-26 Budget: Various California Air Resources Board Proposals

Feb 24, 2025 - Requires fleets to phase out the operation of the majority of their Large Spark ‑Ignition (LSI) powered forklift equipment and prohibits fleets from adding new LSI  forklifts after specified cut ‑off dates.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4980

The 2020-21 Budget: Governor's Wildfire-Related Proposals

Feb 21, 2020 - The reduction in acres burned by wildfires largely is due to fire suppression policies that generally aim to put out wildfires quickly after they ignite in order to reduce risks to lives and properties.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4172

Climate Change Impacts Across California - Crosscutting Issues

Apr 5, 2022 - For instance, many older homes were built with features —such as wood shake roofs, cedar siding, or single ‑paned windows —that make them more vulnerable to igniting during wildfires. Evolving Conditions Are Changing Risk Exposure.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4575

What Can We Learn From How the State Responded to the Last Major Drought?

May 13, 2021 - The state may also want to conduct increased monitoring on tree conditions in potential high ‑risk areas to identify trends and intervene early, such as by removing some dead and dying trees before fires are ignited.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4429

Living Under Smoky Skies—Understanding the Challenges Posed by Wildfire Smoke in California

Nov 14, 2022 - Some of the fires during the period before European settlement were intentionally set by Native American tribes for ecological, ceremonial, and other cultural purposes, while other fires were ignited without human intervention (such as by lightning  strikes).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4644

A Framework for Evaluating State-Level Green Stimulus Proposals

Jan 5, 2021 - Projects that improve the health of the state’s forests—such as by employing mechanical thinning and prescribed burning techniques to reduce tree density and combustible fuels—could decrease the intensity and spread of future wildfire ignitions and could mitigate the types of negative impacts the state experienced this past year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4308