SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Harvest season in Northern California’s wine country draws millions of visitors each year. But harvest season now overlaps with fire season as wildfires, too, have become a yearly reality in the region. In three of the past four years, major wildfires driven by changing climate have devastated parts of the world-class region, leaving little doubt that it’s vulnerable to smoke, flames and blackouts during the fall. Visitors are second-guessing their plans and tourism officials are rethinking their marketing plans. They’re encouraging visitors from far away to plan for winter or spring weddings and conferences. In the fall, they plan to focus on people who can make last-minute bookings due to living nearby.
California wine country adapting to annual wildfire threat
