Controlled burns reduce wildfire risk, but they require trained staff and funding − this could be a rough year

Controlled burns reduce wildfire risk, but they require trained staff and funding − this could be a rough year

(The Conversation) - Red skies in August, longer fire seasons and checking air quality before taking my toddler to the park. This has become the new norm in the western United States as wildfires become more frequent, larger and more catastrophic. As an ecologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, I know that fires are part of the natural processes that forests need to stay healthy. But the combined effects of a warmer and drier climate, mor…

Student scientists study local fire conditions at Hopland REC

Few things are more satisfying than learning how to use a dichotomous key and run a prescribed burn. On a drizzly day in late March, eighteen lucky middle-schoolers from Laytonville got to do both. The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) has teamed up with the University of California Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC) to teach fire-science and wildfire-safety basics to about 800 students from 16 schools across the county this s…

The Sacred Flame: How Controlled Burns at the Royal Botanical Gardens Help Restore Balance to the Land

At the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), controlled burns are more than just a land management tool; they are a deeply sacred process that restores ecological balance and honours the land itself. For David Galbraith, the director of science at RBG,…

Controlled burn in West Kelowna's Rose Valley Park for wildfire recovery

'Pile burning is a critical next step in our wildfire recovery efforts'