On a hillside overlooking the Napa Valley, birds chirp as they soar over uniform rows of lush green young vines. A blue lake sparkles in the sunshine below.
Many would call the view breathtaking, but Alan Viader, a second generation winemaker at Viader Vineyard and Winery says what he sees now, is an overgrown forest.
“Potential fuel,” he calls it.
Northern California’s Napa Valley had a historic wildfire season in 2020. The first blaze erupted in August, consuming hundreds of thousands of acres and killing five people.
Then in late September another – dubbed the “Glass Fire” – quickly became the most destructive wildfire in the famous wine region’s history.