Posts by Rachel Fazio
Why Large Fires are an Ecological Necessity
April 30, 2014
By Monica Bond, Chad T. Hanson and Dominick A. DellaSala
CounterPunch
This winter California suffered its most severe drought in decades, with record-low rainfall and meager mountain snowpack. Drought, high summer temperatures, and wind together make the perfect storm for what some have termed “mega” forest fires that, in spite of fire suppression activities, sweep across the landscape and end only when winds die down and weather cools off.
Read MoreFire Suppression and Illegal Marijuana Cultivation Threaten Rare Pacific Fishers
By Christie Turner
High Country News
The Pacific fisher, a small, carnivorous forest-dwelling mammal, is a candidate for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act this year, and big wildfire could be to blame – or rather, the lack of it.
Read MoreViewpoints: Fires Can Be Restorative, Unlike Heavy Logging
September 15, 2013
By Dominick DellaSala & Chad Hanson
The Sacramento Bee
This year, as in every year, fires are occurring in the forests of the western United States. And, as always, we read the predictable headlines about how many acres of forest were “destroyed,” whether in Yellowstone National Park in the famous 1988 fires or today’s Rim fire in the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park.
Read MoreStudy Challenges Views About Western Forest Fires
By Scott Sonner, Associated Press
Missoulian
Scientists using field notes from surveys first conducted by the government before the Civil War believe they’ve gained a better understanding of how Western wildfires behaved historically.
Read MoreCalifornia’s Rim Fire is Good for the Ecosystem
May 3, 2012
By Chad Hanson, Ph.D.
Forest Policy Pub
Despite reporting to the contrary, the blaze is a natural part of the fire regimes in the Sierra Nevada forests.
Read MoreProtection Sought for Rare Woodpecker
By Scott Sonner, Associated Press
The Spokesman-Review
Smokey Bear has done such a good job stamping out forest fires the past half-century that a woodpecker that’s survived for millions of years is in danger of going extinct.
Read MoreAnother View: Don’t Assume That Fire is Bad for Forests
December 15, 2008
By Chad Hanson, Ph.D.
The Sacramento Bee
Reading Tom Knudson’s article about Sierra Nevada fires made me realize how badly some still misunderstand the ecology of fire in forests.
Read MoreWildfire’s Role in the Life of a Forest
July 9, 2008
By Chad Hanson, Ph.D.
San Francisco Chronicle
Bonnicksen states, “The wildfire crisis is becoming more serious each year. Fires are getting bigger and more destructive, killing wildlife and polluting the air as well.”
Read MoreLogging Industry Misleads on Forest Fires and Climate Change
July 9, 2008
By Chad Hanson, Ph.D.
CounterPunch
Recent editorials by timber industry spokespersons are a wildly misleading attempt to promote increased logging of western U.S. forests under the guise of reducing wildland fires and mitigating climate change.
Read MoreSierra Standoff – Chad Hanson Derails Forest Service Plans To Log
September 9, 2002
By Chad Hanson, Ph.D.
Sacramento News and Review
Was the Forest Service claiming portions of Lassen National Forest were dead just so it could allow commercial logging to proceed? It was, until Chad Hanson came along.
Read More