Monday, November 1st, 2021
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We will welcome Prof. Scott Stephens, Chair of the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, when he will discuss:
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What’s Next? Forest Fires in California’s New Climate Reality
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California's frequent forest fires have major problems and climate change is certainly a factor. But fuels and forest structure are the most critical issues.
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The good news is that we have options to conserve our forests including prescribed fires, Indigenous burning, restoration thinning, and managed wildfire. The next 1-2 decades are critical regarding frequent fires in California. Come hear why our speaker remains optimistic IF we take decisive action now.
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Dr. Stephens is interested in the interactions of wildland fire and ecosystems. This includes how prehistoric fires once interacted with ecosystems, how current wildland fires are affecting ecosystems, and how future fires and management may change this interaction. He is also interested in wildland fire and forest policy and how it can be improved to meet the challenges of the next decades. How fire will be affected by climate change is a recent area of his research.
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