In this seventh episode, host Emily Harwitz delves into the world of fire adaptation and resilience across California with a double feature: Katie Low, fire ecologist and Statewide Coordinator for UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network, and Saul Tejeda, an Assistant Captain on the Yosemite Wildland Fire Module with over a decade of experience on the fireline.

This episode goes broad and deep, so if you’re hankering to learn about California’s state of fire preparedness, how a prescribed burn happens, how technology is advancing wildland firefighting, or the technical nitty-gritty of what it’s like to work with fire, you’re in luck. 

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Katie Low is the Statewide Coordinator for UC ANR’s Fire Network. She works with the Network to help California's residents, natural resource professionals, and communities accelerate the implementation of fire resilience projects. Locally, Katie delivers science-based training about home hardening, defensible space, wildfire preparedness, and vegetation management for communities in the western Sierra. She also works with organizations and universities to provide professional development opportunities for early career fire and forestry professionals in an effort to develop a diverse and robust workforce. Katie earned a Master of Forestry with an emphasis in fire ecology and a B.S. in Ecosystems Management and Forestry and B.A. in Geography, all from UC Berkeley. Her research interests include assessing the short- and long-term ecological impacts and efficacy of fuel reduction and forest restoration treatments on California's mixed-conifer forests. 

Saul Tejeda is an Assistant Captain on the Yosemite Wildland Fire Module. With over 10 years of experience as a wildland firefighter on wildfires and prescribed burns, Saul has dedicated his career to working with fire to restore ecosystem balance and protect communities within the wildland-urban interface. He’s also a wildland firefighter educator and advocate for firefighter mental health.