Calendar

Lecture begins at 7pm
Questions and Networking hosted by Friends of the Pine Bush Community 8pm-8:30pm

IN PERSON: If you would like to attend in person, please reserve your tickets below.

VIRTUAL: If you would like to watch it online, please click here to get a link.

A crisis of wildfire has emerged over much of western North America, raising concerns that fire could become a problem in the Northeast US as the climate changes. Many studies, however, point to a lack of fire in the region over the last century and the prevalence of pyrophobic “asbestos” forests that are difficult to burn. New research, however, is beginning to demonstrate that fire was much more common in many forests of the region, and that without it forests are changing to lower flammability. These changes signal the need for greater fire management, including the implementation of prescribed fire in many areas. A major benefit would be reduced fuel loads, while also promoting greater forest diversity and resilience, all of which are critical to preventing a future wildfire crisis here.

Chris Guiterman is a Research Scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder and member of the paleoclimate team at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. His research interests include dendrochronology, fire ecology, and the drivers of historical fire activity. You can view his website at this link: https://cires.colorado.edu/people/chris-guiterman

Suitable for tweens, teens and adults.

This lecture is being offered in a hybrid format.

IN PERSON: If you would like to attend in person, please reserve your tickets below.

VIRTUAL: If you would like to watch it online, please click here to get a link.