Why History Matters: L.A. Wildfires Past, Present, and Future

In this week’s episode of then & now, we present a recording of a recent panel discussion focusing on L.A. wildfires past, present, and future. This program is part of the “Why History Matters” series presented by the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Department of History—a series dedicated to the belief that historical knowledge is an indispensable, and often missing, ingredient in public debate.

”Why History Matters: L.A. Wildfires Past, Present, and Future,” brought experts together to explore how historical and indigenous perspectives can reshape our understanding of wildfires, especially in light of the devastating Los Angeles County fires in January 2025. The discussion, anchored in the Fowler Museum at UCLA’s “Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology and Art” exhibition, interrogates prevailing narratives that frame fire solely as a destructive force, instead foregrounding indigenous epistemologies that recognize fire as a vital ecological process and a generational resource. Professors Hitoshi Abe, Gerald Clarke, Jr., and Char Miller distinguish three primary drivers of contemporary wildfire crises: climate change, fire suppression policies, and patterns of urban expansion into fire-prone landscapes. To more effectively mitigate and adapt to the escalating risks posed by wildfires, these panelists discuss ways to integrate traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary land management and urban policy.

Moderator:
Stephen Aron is the Calvin and Marilyn Gross Director and President of the Autry Museum of the American West. A specialist in the history of frontiers, borderlands, and the American West, Dr. Aron holds degrees from Amherst College (B.A.) and the University of California, Berkeley (M.A., Ph.D.).

Panelists:
Hitoshi Abe is a Professor in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of California, Los Angeles. Professor Abe is currently the director of Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies and holds the Terasaki Chair for contemporary Japanese study. In 2017, he established xLAB, an international think tank initiative that examines architecture’s elastic boundaries and considers new possibilities through interdisciplinary collaboration in the study of the future built environment.

Gerald Clarke Jr. is a Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies and Special Advisor to the Chancellor on Native American Relations at the University of California, Riverside. He is an enrolled member of the Cahuilla Band of Indians and lives on the Cahuilla Indian Reservation. Gerald oversees the Clarke family cattle ranch and remains heavily involved in Cahuilla culture.

Char Miller is the W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College. His teaching and research reflect his fascination with all things environmental. Classes on U.S. environmental history, water in the U.S. West, and public lands management, like those on urbanization and the interplay between the natural and built landscapes, have deeply informed his writing.