Rebuilding After Catastrophic Wildfires: Lessons from Around the Globe
The number of wildfires has been increasingly globally over the past two decades, reaching 11.9 million hectares of tree cover in 2023.
Wildfires in the United States incur annual economic costs ranging from $394 billion to $893 billion, equating to approximately 2-4% of the nation’s GDP.
Upfront investments in mitigation, such as using fire-resistant building and landscaping materials, can be highly cost-effective and lead to return on investment not only in saving lives and property but also reducing fire suppression costs.
Current Problem
As the Los Angeles region faced yet another devastating wildfire event in early 2025, the scale of destruction is both a call to action and an opportunity for innovation. After accounting for the immediate needs of ensuring the fires are stopped, people are protected, and any irreplaceable loss of life is minimized, the road to recovery has really just begun. Rebuilding after such catastrophic events requires careful planning, robust resilience strategies, and lessons from cities and countries that have faced similar challenges.
Los Angeles and California more widely is one of the more common regions that has dealt regularly with wildfires, these same challenges are being felt more and more globally. While that increased prevalence of wildfires is undoubtedly a tragic story of climate change, it also means that in trying times like Los Angelenos are feeling right now they at least have some examples elsewhere they can look to for where communities worldwide have successfully rebuilt after wildfires.
The Immediate Challenges of Post-Wildfire Reconstruction
Wildfires leave communities with more than charred landscapes:
They create immediate public health crises, such as studies on North Carolina wildfires that found daily wildfire PM2.5 concentrations were associated with a 12% increase in all-cause mortality during periods of extreme pollution
They displace countless families from their homes, such as over 230,000 Canadians that were evacuated during the 2023 wildfire season
And they devastate critical infrastructure, such as 2016’s Fort McMurray wildfire that led to the destruction of approximately 3,244 structures, including essential infrastructure components
The reconstruction process must balance urgent needs like restoring utilities and housing with long-term resilience planning to mitigate future risks. Put another way, once the daily news coverage on television and in the newspapers ends, millions of people remain deeply affected and the human side of the tragedy persist. That’s where some lessons learned from the past become critical.
Emerging Solutions
Los Angeles
Recommendations for Los Angeles
As Los Angeles plans its recovery from the current wildfire crisis, once it moves past the immediate safety, health, and emotional tolls of the events, it can look to draw inspiration from these global examples to:
Revise Building Codes and Zoning Laws: Mandating fire-resistant construction materials and implementing buffer zones can reduce vulnerability in high-risk areas.
Integrate Technology: Deploying predictive analytics, sensors, and aerial surveillance can enhance early detection and rapid response capabilities.
Promote Community Engagement: Establishing neighborhood-based recovery and risk reduction programs can empower residents to take proactive measures.
Invest in Mental Health Resources: Addressing the psychological impact of wildfires is critical for long-term community recovery.
Of course, critical to keep in mind is that these disasters are not just data points, each of them represent major scale human tragedies. And if it’s not wildfires in California it’s hurricanes in Florida or tornadoes in the Midwest or other natural events globally.
These tragedies must also represent opportunities to come together and rise each other up during times of hardship.
Global
Adopting Australia’s Bushfire Recovery Strategies
Australia, a country prone to extreme bushfires, provides another compelling example. Following the Black Saturday fires in 2009, which claimed 173 lives and destroyed over 2,000 homes, Australian communities focused on:
Relocation of Vulnerable Communities: Some towns, like Marysville, opted for strategic relocation, moving parts of their population out of high-risk areas.
Community Fireguard Programs: Local governments funded community-based groups to develop evacuation plans, establish early warning systems, and conduct fire drills.
Psychosocial Support: Recognizing the mental health toll of wildfires, Australia invested in counseling and community rebuilding events to foster resilience.
Portugal’s Approach to Wildfire-Resilient Landscapes
In 2017, Portugal faced devastating fires that claimed over 60 lives.
Their response included:
Landscape Management: Portugal launched a national initiative to diversify forest composition, replacing highly flammable eucalyptus with native species that burn less readily.
Smart Technology Integration: The country deployed drones and satellite systems to monitor fire-prone areas and provide real-time data for rapid response.
Investment in Firefighting Infrastructure: Portugal expanded its fleet of water-bombing aircraft and trained specialized firefighting units to address the unique challenges of wildfires.