UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Low to moderate severity wildfires used to burn at regular intervals in the Western United States, helping to maintain healthy ecosystems. The policy of fire suppression put an end to these beneficial fires and set the conditions for the high severity megafires that burn in these same places today. Scott Stephens, professor of fire science at the University of California, Berkeley, will discuss fire policy and policy problems during a talk titled "Fire policy and policy conundrums in fire-prone Mediterranean climate forests." The talk, which is free and open to the public, takes place at 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, via Zoom.

Stephens’ talk is part of the fall 2021 EESI EarthTalks series, “Fire in the Earth System.” The series addresses humanity’s long relationship with fire, how humans and climate create conditions conducive to megafires, and how policymakers and land managers can address the fire problem. For more information about the fall 2021 series, visit the EarthTalks web page.

The fall 2021 EESI EarthTalks series is supported by Penn State’s Earth and Environmental Systems Institute.