Forests, Fires, & People: Kindling & Sparks
Presented by the Center for Collaborative Conservation and The Institute for Science and Policy
Sponsored by Gates Family Foundation
Monday, March 22 at 5 p.m. MT
Watch the full episode

Wildfires are a natural phenomenon and have long played a key role in promoting the broader ecological health of forests. But for humans, living amidst fire is a delicate balancing act. After a century of suppressing any wildfires and population growth driving more settlement in wildland areas, the risk of catastrophe from any given blaze has only increased. On top of that, climate change has created hotter, drier conditions, turning already burn-prone western forests into a tinder box of available fuel just waiting for ignition. The result: a new era of larger, more destructive megafires that threaten homes and lives like never before.   

Join us Monday, March 22 at 5 p.m. MT for “Kindling & Sparks,” the first episode in our four-part series examining the complex tradeoffs of wildfires in the west. We’ll be joined by Tim Brown, Research Professor of Climatology at the Desert Research Institute, and Camille Stevens-Rumann, Assistant Professor of Forest & Rangeland Stewardship in Colorado State University’s Warner College of Nature Resources, to discuss the ecology of western forests, forest management, the science of fire behavior, and much more. Submit your questions for the panelists in advance upon registering or live during the presentation for potential inclusion in the conversation.  

Forests, Fires, and People is presented by the Institute for Science and Policy and the Center for Collaborative Conservation, in partnership with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, the Southern Rockies Fire Science Network, the Colorado State Forest Service, and the Climate Adaptation Partnership. The episodes will also be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.