Climate and wildfires in western North America: a case for proactive management

Much attention has been given to the rise of western wildfires under climate change. In this talk, we will explore what fuels wildfires in western North America  and proactive management strategies to mitigate their impacts to forests and communities. In addition to fire weather, topography and the combustible biomass of dead and living vegetation have large impacts on how wildfires start and contagiously spread. We will conclude with a discussion on the range of science-based adaptive management strategies to make forests more resilient to climate change and wildfires and how these can be scaled up to make a difference.