Posts by Bekah Mamola
Industry’s Got the Mic – Take It Back
The deceptively-named ‘Fix Our Forests‘ Act (FOFA) is picking up speed on Capitol Hill, with little scrutiny and major consequences for our public lands. Your voice, through a simple letter to your local paper, can help expose what’s at stake and slow its momentum. Why Your Voice Matters Right Now The ‘Fix Our Forests‘ Act…
Read MoreChad Hanson, Q/A with Forest Talks & Forest Walks
Center for Responsible Forestry | Dr. Chad Hanson is invited to speak with a new kind of book club – where stories spark action, ideas grow into movements, and love for forests bring people together – that has just finished his book, “Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate”. He makes a powerful, evidence-based case for rethinking fire – seeing it not as a disaster, but as an essential part of forest health and climate resilience.
Read MoreTrump Wants to Let Chainsaws Loose in CA National Forests
San Francisco Chronicle
By Kurtis Alexander
Despite citing fire prevention, the Trump administration is calling for a 25% increase in logging in U.S. national forests.
But forest ecologists–and the data–tell a different story: “It [logging] tends to make them burn faster and hotter toward towns,” says Chad Hanson of the John Muir Project. Is this really about fire, or about profit?
Note: This article is behind a paywall
Read MoreThe Great Big Giant Sequoia Scam with Dr. Chad Hanson
Adam Bronstein interviews Dr. Chad Hanson about the unique ecological role of giant sequoias and the critical importance of high-intensity fires for their reproduction. Chad outlines the widespread misunderstanding among policymakers and the public about these majestic trees and forests, emphasizing that low-intensity fires do not provide the conditions needed for giant sequoia regeneration.
Read MoreForest Thinning Might Lead to More Wildfire Danger
ABC4
By MJ Jewkes
Researchers believe active wildfire management practices, like forest thinning, may do more harm than good. “Many of the things being done in forests will potentially make them more flammable, not less,” said David Lindenmayer, distinguished professor with the Australian National University. Lindenmayer says he, along with a team of researchers, including Dr. Chad Hanson and Dr. Dominick DellaSala, began studying active management strategies shortly after a number of wildfires tore across Australian forests in 2009.
Read MoreLey Forestal Engañosa: Tala Subvencionada y Retrocesos
Federal Administration Looks to Expand Logging in California’s National Forests
Spectrum News 1
By Jamie Kennedy
“Removing trees from forests reduces wind resistance,” Hanson said. “And that’s a really big factor. Reducing wind resistance means that the flames, the winds, can push the flames faster through the forest.” Hanson believes wildfire efforts should focus on hardening homes and defensible space, with prescribed and natural burns as the best forest strategy. “We actually want more fire in most areas and not just low intensity creeping surface fire,” Hanson said. “In most forest ecosystems, there is a natural component that is high-intensity fire.”
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