Nov. 13 fire behavior meeting

Wildland fi res typically have very complex behaviors. They are
affected by changes in fuels, topography, weather, and ignition
patterns. This diverse behavior produces equally diverse effects.
To predict fi re effects you must fi rst quantify fi re behavior and fuel
consumption, fi re size, fi re season, and past fi re occurrence. In many
cases the use of replicated experimental prescribed fi res are necessary
to make inferences. Information from these studies can then be used
to develop quantitative models.
Currently there is substantial debate on how or if land managers
should reduce fuel hazards or engage in salvage logging. Dr. Stephens
has given testimony on this topic on three occasions at the US House
of Representatives Subcommittee on Forest and Forest Health and
Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands. He believes the
central question in this debate is the defi nition of desired future
conditions for our diverse ecosystems. Once we have this then we
must decide what management tools are appropriate to achieve and
maintain the desired conditions.
Dr. Scott Stephens, UC Berkeley, is interested in the
interactions of wildland fi re and ecosystems. This
includes how prehistoric fi res once interacted with
ecosystems, how current wildland fi res are affecting
ecosystems, and how future fi res and management
may change this interaction. How can wildland fi re
policy be improved to meet the challenges of the next
decades? How will fi re be affected by climate change?
FIRE BEHAVIOR:
WILDFIRE AND OLD-GROWTH JEFFREY PINE-MIXED
CONIFER FORESTS
DR. SCOTT STEPHENS (UC BERKELEY)
Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Time: 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Lecture begins promptly at 6:00 p.m.
Cost: $5 donation requested. Includes a No-Host Bar.
Location: Assembly Rooms A & B, Tahoe Center for
Environmental Sciences
291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village, Nevada
(on the campus of Sierra Nevada College)