A comprehensive expert’s manual for developing better wildfire regulations in a rapidly warming climate.
By David Auchterlonie ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2023
Auchterlonie and Lehman provide an overview of forest fire management on United States public forest land. They start off by emphasizing the severity of the issue: “The Earth is on fire.” Wildfires have caused destruction on every continent in 2020, with 10 million acres burned in the U.S. alone, an area the size of Maryland and Delaware combined. This problem is only getting worse, as the annual average temperature in the U.S. has risen by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970, leading to drier forests and more and worse fires. These fires have a huge impact on wildland-urban interface areas, destroying thousands of homes and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. The authors explain that wildfires affect over half the landmass of the United States. Through concise, well-documented, and superbly illustrated chapters, they discuss the history of the government’s responses to such dangers and suggest possible improvements to those measures. They provide key statistics and explain their sources, governmental and otherwise, with the aim of informing rather than entertaining. This text is intended for specialists, frontline responders, and policymakers who could improve laws and regulations regarding forestry and response protocols. It should be required reading for every incoming U.S. secretary of the interior.
Pub Date: July 31, 2023
ISBN: 9781637557839
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Amplify Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2023