Program date: Oct. 22, 2021
Air date: Oct. 26, 2021
From The City Club of Eugene:
2020 was yet another incredible year for wildfires in Western Oregon, with over 1 million acres burned, at least 11 deaths, and the loss of most of the towns of Detroit, Blue River, and Vida. The fires of 2021 are still burning over hundreds of thousands of acres.
What has caused this “new normal” of hazardous conditions, including spates of poor air quality all the way to Central Park in New York? Is it overzealous forest fire suppression policies? Cessation of historic prescribed burns by Native Americans? People moving into the wildland-urban interface? Modern forest management practices? Climate change? Or all of the above? More importantly, what can we do to make our forests more resilient?
In this program, we will hear the perspectives of John Bailey, OSU professor and expert on fuels manipulations and wildland fire science, and Amanda Astor, Forest Policy Manager for Associated Oregon Loggers. Join us to learn more about this hot topic!
Speakers:
Amanda Astor graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in Forest Management and Forest Biology and a Graduate Certificate in Forest Carbon Science, Management, and Policy from Michigan State University. She has worked as a GIS Technician and Forester for the US Forest Service and the American Forest Resource Council. She is currently the Forest Policy Manager for Associated Oregon Loggers. She is a frequent contributor to The Register Guard‘s opinion section.
John Bailey earned a BS in Forestry and Wildlife and an MF in Forest Biology from Virginia Tech, and a PhD in Forest Science from Oregon State University. He is been a professor of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management at Oregon State University since 2014. His research focuses on using traditional and experimental silviculture practices to achieve a spectrum of objectives in a landscape, including commodity production, habitat creation, fire risk reduction, and ecosystem restoration.