Posts by Bekah Mamola
The Business of Wildfire Prevention
Big Bear Grizzly
Environmental groups say thinning forests can actually increase the threat of forest fire. And in 2023, the John Muir Project and Friends of Big Bear Valley submitted a lawsuit against USFS to halt the project.
It’s unclear where the North Big Bear Landscape Restoration project stands. The USFS is unable to comment on the issue due to a national freeze on media relations. Both the John Muir Project and Friends of Big Bear Valley say they have not received a substantive update on the project.
Read More‘Forest Management’ Misdirection Worsens Community Wildfire Threats
February 2, 2025
By Chad Hanson
The problem is that, as a society, we cannot seem to have that essential conversation. There is a sort of cultural anomaly, like a spell, that inexorably steers the discussion and the funding for wildfire policies toward “forest management.” This misdirection is putting lives and communities at risk.
Read MoreNo on “Fix Our Forests” Act
What Caused the Fires in California?
Tipping Point | The Hindu spoke to Chad Hanson, a California-based research ecologist from the John Muir Project, to understand the causes behind California wildfires, dispel the rumours, and discuss the way forward.
Read MoreLawsuit Aims to Stop Largest-Ever Fire Prevention Project
Action News Now
Josh Hart, a spokesman for Feather River Action explained the group’s concerns. The lawsuit plaintiffs are environmental groups including Feather River Action, Plumas Forest Project, and John Muir Project. Hart said his group refers to the plan as the forest devastation project. “What the forest service is proposing is only going to make the situation worse,” Hart said.
Read MoreWildfire Scientist & Ecologist Explains How Fires Are Contained
NewsNation | Forest and fire ecologist Chad Hanson joins Banfield to discuss how exactly a wildfire is contained. Palisades Fire is 14% contained as of Monday evening.
Read MoreExpert Criticizes US Response, Policy Failures for CA Wildfires
Bastille Post Global
Chad Hanson, a forest ecologist with the John Muir Project, has blamed extreme weather conditions, outdated wildfire policies, and inadequate community preparedness for the devastation caused by California’s recent wildfires, urging a shift toward more effective prevention measures. Hanson identified the combination of dry weather, powerful Santa Ana winds, and low humidity as the primary drivers of the fires, explaining that these conditions overwhelmed firefighting efforts and shifted the focus to evacuations.
Read MoreDonald Trump Blames Gavin Newsom for Wildfires
Al Arabiya News | The wildfire in Palisades is said to have burned 17,000 acres of land as the dangerous embers reached the Hollywood hills area late last night. Donald Trump has also used this opportunity to publicly criticize the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, blaming his leadership as a reason for the mishandling of the fire.
Read MoreRace to Contain L.A. Fires Intensifies as Winds Strengthen
CNN | Dr. Chad Hanson points out the urgent need to create fire-safe communities in the midst of ongoing Southern California shrubland fires. He also mentions the lack of evidence that this event was exacerbated due to a lack of water – the fire hydrant infrastructure is not designed to address a situation where you have several hundred homes, simultaneously, engaged in flames.
Read MoreIsa Soares Tonight with Chad Hanson
CNN, Isa Soares Tonight | What we’re missing in the conversation right now is community protection, on creating fire safe communities; it will save thousands of homes and many lives – home hardening, defensible space, and evacuation planning & assistance.
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