Fire on the Vine: Climate Change and Corporate Greed in the Sonoma Valley

Healdsburg, California in the Sonoma Valley was made for tourists of the sweetest variety. Its 19th-century plaza is the highlight of their coastal eden, but in the markets, homes, and municipal buildings the city really stands out. There is modesty and conservatism in Healdsburg, of course, which can be found the pleasing symmetry and the manicured landscapes; Yet with pastel hues, hand-painted signs, and flowers upon flowers, it seems a city made for late Victorian Barbie. While walking the sidewalks, still faintly alabaster, you can fool yourself into thinking one building with its inviting columns and open doorways is her polished, pink neoclassical Dream Home. There is well-tended greenery on every corner, from shaped bushes to hanging blossoms, and Healdsburg encourages all visitors to reduce, reuse, recycle. It seems to encompass both a perfect future and an idealized past, which may be why the Smithsonian rated as one of the best small towns in America (Smithsonian). Healdsburg, a humble city of only 11,000 residents, has the resources to maintain such a pristine tourist attraction despite its size and modesty thanks to the lush land which started them in 1851. It is not just the traditional architecture meets Candyland facade that keeps the tourists returning year after year, but a juicier attraction that keeps Healdsburg nourished.

The vineyards that run along the Russian River and the Alexander Valley supply to some of the most praised wineries in the United States. With praise, comes profits and these wineries are a staple of the tourist appeal of Healdsburg. Although the wine they export is a proud tradition, having supplemented the town economy in the early days, its most profitable industry now lies in tourism (Bowen). The sweet city sparkles but the in the vineyards, a visitor is overcome by the tranquil refinement of endless groves. In a traditional year, the crowds do not show until June when the weather is better and the grapes are plump for display. Yet, even now in only late March, the vines are already flush with promise and the budding has begun thanks to unseasonable warmth. The juvenile vines are uniformed spurts and supported by doweling. Each one is mirror-image of their seemingly infinite neighbors and their sense of stoic purpose makes any guest feel overcome with serenity. The sensation of knowing that this same sight covers 60,000 vineyards across Sonoma county enhances the powerful draw of the valley. The vineyards are picturesque, an apropos partner to equally aesthetic Healdsburg, and it would be easy to spend an entire afternoon, night, morning and forever walking them. It's just as easy to forget the devastation that lay just on the other side of town: the smoldering aftermath of the 2019 Kincade fire that destroyed over 77,000 acres of valley and homes (CA Fire "Kincade").

These are not the first searing scars that Healdsburg has received, as the Kincade wildfire only added to their recent tragedies. During 2017, California faced some of the most destructive wildfires it had ever seen, with 9 out of 10 of the most largest occurring within the last ten years (CA Fire "Largest"). In 2016, neighboring Mendocino county grappled with a fire that scorched an astonishing 460,000 acres alone, while Santa Barbara's Thomas fire itself took nearly 300,000 acres. That same year, California also experienced the deadliest blaze in its history during Butte county's Camp fire which claimed not only 150,000 acres and 18,000 structures, but also the lives of 86 people (Moleski). The entire town of Paradise, California was lost in the same blaze (CBS) and reminds residents in places like Healdsburg how quickly their lives can go up in smoke, lost forever. This is a reality that lingers over them, despite all the wonder in the landscape, and as temperatures increase wildfires are only likely to follow. The effects of global warming are felt even in California, where the temperature has risen an astounding 3.5 degrees over the last century and hindered the falling of snow on the Sierras, breaking an important natural chain which allows moisture into the California valleys (Bosner). In a land which congenitally battles with oppressive heat and thirst, the lack of mountain run-off breeds arid climates that are ripe for wildfires. California officials fear it will only get worse, claiming that the fire season as grown a total of 75 days across the Sierras and are venturing to grow even longer. As the air gets drier and the temperature rises, California's natural environment may be the residents undoing.

Fire is not the only natural force working against residents, but also the impressive coastal winds which have become a trademark for California waves. In Southern California, San Diego's destructive Cedar fire is the third largest in state history, while Los Angeles's lethal Griffith Park fire took 29 lives in the second deadliest in state history--each fire aided by the powerful Santa Ana winds. Up north, in places such as Sonoma county, a different wind current known as the Diablo winds contribute to their continuing fire problems. These winds regularly reach gusts up to 80mph and supply much-needed oxygen to the soaring flames, which burn up energy at stunning rate, reaching upwards to 3,000° F (Stanford). In addition, what is carried on the gales is not just pollen and sand, but also burning embers. These embers are scattered across untouched vegetation by these impressively distant winds, harboring the potential to spark new blazes and turning a wildfire already unmanageable into overwhelming. With such powerful wind, air support is almost impossible when supplies are needed for a ground team or rescue to those who need aid. As such, wildfires are left uncontrolled as these high winds prevent firefighting personnel and equipment, such as retardant-dumping planes and water-pouring helicopters, from even traversing over the flames (Auburn). The only outcome are wildfires which are not only exponentiated by the winds, but civilians and firefighters being stranded in its midsts without escape. The possibility is harrowing and far too commonplace.

With such a looming threat over them, Healdsburg was just one of the many places in California to adopt strict wildfire-preventing practices. In 1950, California rolled out one of the most popular ad campaigns in order to prevent wildfires in the form of "Smokey the Bear" and, decades after fires proceeded, began an aggressive on-going assault of the overgrown vegetation across the California state (Mulkern). Each was done with the hope of preventing future fiery outbreaks by informing the public of the danger, while teaching proper wilderness behavior, and also slimming down fire-fueling overgrowth. Although these actions were taken to defend themselves against wildfires, both operations altered the ever-adapting balance of the state's ecosystem which lead to its natural ability to protect itself to be suppressed resulting in more environmental damage (Joyce). California officials have since diminished Smokey, but continues to trim vegetation with more informed delicacy and performing controlled burns in safe-zoned areas of the state (Mulkern), actively striving to strike a balance which benefits both nature and society. Yet, with so many factors coming together to create a blaze, the chilling reality is that the California landscape has become a powder keg primed for bigger, brighter wildfires--yet, with such an intense increase in the amount and severity of recent fires, one wonders what is the match that continues to produce the deadly spark?

Our world is changing, there's no doubt, but finding solutions to this problem has revealed that one of the biggest contributors to wildfires in California is Pacific Gas & Electric. PG&E is an investor-owned utility company which not only supplies power to most of the west coast, but is also the most profitable utility company in the entire United States (Forbes). With such a massive reach and plenty of revenue, it is a wonder how PG&E can find itself at the center of this examination. Yet since 2015 alone, PG&E has been discovered to be the cause of over 1,500 California wildfires--many of which are record-breaking. Despite consistent warnings to the private company that their equipment would need to be upgraded and replaced to combat the effects of climate change, PG&E regularly denied the claims of global warming and refused to modernize their machinery (Penn, et al.). It wasn't until November 2018 when the Camp fire broke, the most deadly and destructive in California history, that citizens demanded action. In February 2019, PG&E responded by outlining a plan to relieve concern that included mainly trimming overhanging branches on 2,455 miles of power-lines but, by September, only 760 miles had been properly cleared (Douglas). The very next month, the Kincade fire sparked and the Sonoma Valley went up in flames.

In Healdsburg, a visitor has only to turn down the wrong street to find that the signs no longer talk about craft fairs but warn drivers of remaining rubble. Where the Kincade fire left its mark on the city itself, large portions have been cordoned off due to weakened structures. From the drive, the mangled remains of homes, workplaces, and lives seem like nothing more than campfire leftovers. There is devastation in Healdsburg, but one does not have to go far to become aware of the paralyzing power of an unchecked wildfire. Just a short trip away is the Mayacamas Winery, which overlooks the entire Alexander Valley up in the mountains. A guest at the winery needs only a moment among their classical decor to know that the best compliment to a white wine vineyard is fresh mountain air. Mayacamas's heritage of Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc hangs in peril as much of their entire 465-acre, and nearly all 54 acres under vine, met with Kincade's perilous heat. In the Mayacamas Mountains, much of the fire was isolated and it left nothing but ash in its wake. When a fire burns, it consumes not only the life it touches but the very oxygen in the air, and what lingers long after is a stuffy, choking reminder of the event. The ash floats in small particles and leaves an unpleasant coating both soft and slick like powder on the skin. Any visitor to the location of a wildfire quickly learns to keep their mouth closed, for fear of getting the bitter metallic coating on their tongue or between their teeth. The ground is like tilled earth, except a closer look reveals that the upturn is nothing but black soot, patches of white ash, and mostly charred stone. The vision is unreal, as if the entire land suffers from a fatal frostbite which has eaten away at everything but the black skeletal remains of a forest. It seems hard to imagine any life had ever lived in such a barren, dark place before and even more difficult to imagine that life will come back--especially on a deep-breath in that smells just like a wood-burning fireplace, now cold. This time of year, the area in the mountains needs a good jacket. A wildfire burns with the hopes of bringing in new life, cleansing an ecosystem, and restoring a natural balance, a wildfire sparked by human error only ever destroys.

California has known for a long time that something must be done to improve fire ecology if they wish to save the land and the people, and applied pressure to Pacific Gas & Electric to update their antiquated equipment. Despite their previous position, PG&E felt saddled with an unjust financial burden related to the ensuring updates and lawsuits related to the wildfires, claiming that climate change was the major contributor and not their maintenance (Penn, et al.). In response, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and offered the state of California their resolution in their last attempt at a lifeline: plans to replace high-voltage wiring with instillation to prevent sparks and the replacement of wooden poles with non-flammable ones (Peltz). These common-sense solutions were also coupled with the caveat that this process would take over a decade to complete and the state would be subject to rolling blackouts during the entire period. After what Governor Gavin Newsom called "years and years of greed, years and years of mismanagement" (Douglas), the question has risen whether or not PG&E will have a place in the rebuilt California. Accused of ignoring safety and improvement in order to funnel millions of profits towards investors, California legislation have called for a public takeover of PG&E with plans to update to contemporary smart-grids, line sensors, frequent inspections, and proper vegetation management of the company (Kaufman). After years of fire fear and corporate abuse, Californians are scrutinizing the concept of privatized public services, wondering if the public interest can ever truly trump profits especially in a world which demands innovation and ethical thinking.

The future will be warmer and more difficult no matter what California decides but that does not mean they can not play a critical part in whether or not their state thrives in their new land or shrivels. With climate change an irrefutable reality, the evidence of larger and deadlier wildfires continues to mount; If the scientific data did not support this, the countless scorched acres which once housed families, businesses, and wildlife ring with the tragic truth. Since 1995, people on the west coast have trusted Pacific Gas & Electric to help their lives keep moving, never expecting they were a major factor in the spontaneous terror which lives over them. It was only after innumerable damage to Californian lives, economy, and landscape that PG&E agreed to proactively provide safety measures to their poorly maintained grids. The choice of a public takeover is suspicious to many, including Governor Newsom, who fear bureaucracy may hinder decisiveness in times of emergency (Kaufman). Yet by allowing PG&E to remain in control without proper regulation, once again real public safety may be put on the back-burner. California has a chance to be a leader in the new world and showcase the benefits of a properly regulated harmony between society and nature. The wildfires will undoubtedly destroy the state's stability unless they show companies like PG&E that public safety and environmental health is the cost of doing business in California.