Experts Media Briefing: 2016 Western Wildfires & Climate Change - June 29, 2016

by Climate Nexus/SoundCloud

On June 29th, Climate Nexus hosted a press briefing on wildfires featuring:

  • Dr. LeRoy Westerling - Associate Professor, University of California-Merced
  • Susan Jane Brown - Attorney, Wildlands & Wildlife Program Director at the Western Environmental Law Center
  • Dr. Keith Gilless - Chair of CA State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, Dean of UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources

Sample Quotes:

  • “I don’t ever envision the fire season ever shutting down again. In areas like southern California, the deployment of staff and resources to deal with wildfire is going to become a permanent feature rather than a seasonal one.” - Dr. Keith Gilless

  • “Wildfire in forested areas is increasing dramatically, there are more opportunities for large fires. In a lot of places the climate restricted fires, but now it’s all about fuel availability and we are seeing very large burned patches in areas that aren’t used to it. Each decade since the 1980s has seen a big increase in fire activity, and we don’t expect that trend to stop any time soon.” - Dr. Leroy Westerling