Island Press | Photo by Edward Struzik

#ForewordFriday: Wildfire and Water Edition

By Katharine Sucher / On November 17th, 2017
From “California Wildfires Rip Through Parched Land,” to “Wildfires Force Thousands to Evacuate in Southern France,” to “Devastating Wildfire Can Be Seen from Space,” news headlines around the world reveal a new reality of devastating megafires. This summer, California’s Detwiler Fire burned over 80,000 acres and crept uncomfortably close to Yosemite National Park. In Canada, military aircrafts were called in to battle flames that ravaged British Columbia and forced the evacuation of nearly 40,000 people.

#ForewordFriday: A Secure Water Future

By Katharine Sucher / On October 13th, 2017
In the words of Elizabeth Kolbert, "Nothing is more important to life than water, and no one knows water better than Sandra Postel." Postel's new book Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity is a "clear-eyed treatise" (Booklist, Starred Review) that offers a hopeful vision of a secure water future. It shows how cities and farms around the world are finding relief from an unexpected source: a healthier water cycle.
Fort McMurray Fire | Courtesy of RCMP Fort McMurray

How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future: A Conversation with Edward Struzik

By Katharine Sucher / On October 4th, 2017
Edward Struzik's Firestorm is a "comprehensive and compelling" (Booklist) look at wildfires in the age of climate change. We sat down with Struik to talk about wildfire, first responders, and how megafires will shape our future. Have more questions for Struzik? Share them in the comments below. 

Rampant Wildfires Will Affect Our Drinking Water

By Edward Struzik / On October 2nd, 2017
In a world of bigger, hotter fires, it is time to think of forests as vital infrastructure, and to invest in preserving these resources for the future

On Wildfires and Pollution

By Jason Leppig / On August 22nd, 2017
A new study from the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres suggests that naturally caused forest fires emit three times as much pollution as previously estimated. The pollution is in the form of particulate matter, which is one of the most dangerous forms of pollution. These measurements were compared to controlled forest fires intentionally set, and the findings showed that controlled fires produced less particulates.  

Adjusting to Forests that Won't Stand Still

By Richard Waring, Joe Landsberg / On January 30th, 2017
For a long time we ecologists thought that we could predict not only how forests would grow but also how their composition was likely to change over time.  And we could predict the effects of management actions: for example, If we chose to thin stands of trees in certain ways, we would expect predictable increases in the growth of the remaining trees, with more shrubs, grasses, and seedlings colonizing the gaps below the trees.

We can’t win the climate battle without healthy forests

By Joe Landsberg, Richard Waring / On December 19th, 2016
Most people now accept that the world’s climate is changing rapidly as a result of human activities — mainly the direct emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat radiating from the earth, causing the temperature of our small blue planet to rise. This is leading to all sorts of political, economic and ecological problems.

A New Global Tinderbox: The World’s Northern Forests

By Edward Struzik / On November 24th, 2015
Ted Schuur has spent the better part of his career making the connection between climate change and wildfires that are burning an increasing amount of land in Alaska and in sub-Arctic and Arctic forests around the world. So the Northern Arizona University scientist wasn’t all that surprised this summer to find his field stations in the interior of Alaska surrounded by fires on three sides. At the time, the state was well on track to recording its second-worst fire season ever.

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