Around the world, fires are behaving differently now than throughout history, primarily as a result of human actions. Climate change combined with decades of fire suppression has led to more frequent and more intense wildfires. The record-breaking Southern Appalachian fall fire season of 2016 exemplified this, resulting in more than 50 major wildfires that burned 100,000 acres through eight states, leading to 14 deaths and producing toxic smoke visible from space. What have we learned from these fires? What areas are most at risk of dangerous fires? And, what are some management practices that could limit future outbreaks?

Panel Discussion

Join us for a panel discussion with the area’s leading fire experts and learn how fire provides benefits to both people and nature, what is being done to keep fire out of places where it is destructive, and how controlled burns are planned and implemented. Panelists will highlight how fire shapes the Blue Ridge ecosystem and how some of our rarest plants and animals depend on fire for survival. Panelists will also discuss steps landowners can take to protect themselves from future wildfire.

Panelists:

•Barry Hendren, Assistant Chief, Asheville Fire Department

•Dillon Michael, Buncombe County Ranger, NC Forest Service

•Greg Philipp, Grandfather Ranger District Fire Management Officer, U.S. Forest Service

•Adam Warwick, Southern Blue Ridge Stewardship Manager, The Nature Conservancy in NC

•Jim Fox, Director, National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center

•Margit Bucher, Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network co-lead

•Brian Schneider, Instructor of Forest Management Technology, Haywood Community College

Moderated by Jay Leutze, President, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy

RSVP to chudy@tnc.org by April 3.