Adapting western North American forests to climate change and wildfires: 10 common questions

Abstract

We review science-based adaptation strategies for western North American (wNA) forests that include restoring active fire regimes and fostering resilient structure and composition of forested landscapes. As part of the review, we address common questions associated with climate adaptation and realignment treatments that run counter to a broad consensus in the literature. These include: (1) Are the effects of fire exclusion overstated? If so, are treatments unwarranted and even counterproductive? (2) Is forest thinning alone sufficient to mitigate wildfire hazard? (3) Can forest thinning and prescribed burning solve the problem? (4) Should active forest management, including forest thinning, be concentrated in the wildland urban interface (WUI)? ( 5) Can wildfires on their own do the work of fuel treatments? (6) Is the primary objective of fuel reduction treatments to assist in future firefighting response and containment? (7) Do fuel treatments work under extreme fire weather? (8) Is the scale of the problem too great -can we ever catch up? (9) Will planting more trees mitigate climate change in wNA forests? and (10) Is post-fire management needed or even ecologically justified? Based on our review of the scientific evidence, a range of proactive management actions are justified and necessary to keep pace with changing climatic and wildfire regimes and declining forest successional heterogeneity after severe wildfires. Science-based adaptation options include the use of managed wildfire, prescribed burning, and coupled mechanical thinning and prescribed burning as is consistent with land management allocations and forest conditions. Although some current models of fire management in wNA are averse to short-term risks and uncertainties, the long-term environmental, social, and cultural consequences of wildfire management primarily grounded in fire suppression are well documented, highlighting an urgency to invest in intentional forest management and restoration of active fire regimes.

What Do the Australian Black Summer Fires Signify for the Global Fire Crisis?

“…Many countries are examining similar questions to that faced by Australia around how to live with wildfire under climate change. For example, in the western USA an increase in large and intense wildfires in recent decades has led to discussion about the role of historical fire suppression, Indigenous burning practices and forest thinning on forest fuels and subsequent wildfires [70]. Shifting fire regimes under climate change also poses challenges for international cooperation in managing extreme fire seasons, with many countries historically sharing firefighting resources.…”

Community Engagement With Proactive Wildfire Management in British Columbia, Canada: Perceptions, Preferences, and Barriers to Action

“…Thus, a perceived lack of effectiveness for these two approaches may reflect respondents' expertise in fire behavior and forest management; this is confirmed by the finding that "lack of information regarding fuel treatments" is not strongly limiting. In contrast, prescribed burning following tree cutting and livestock grazing were also considered less effective by respondents although they have proven effective in other jurisdictions (Schwilk et al, 2009;Prichard et al, 2021;Rouet-Leduc et al, 2021). These approaches are not common practice for reducing fire risk in BC, so respondents may not be familiar with the effectiveness of these approaches, which can be a barrier to uptake (McGee, 2007;McCaffrey et al, 2013).…”

“…Prevention attempts to stop wildfire from occurring and minimize the negative consequences if wildfire does occur, and includes reducing human-ignitions through public education and awareness; laws and regulations banning fire-starting activities; and fuel treatments, including prescribed burning (Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, 2017;Tymstra et al, 2020). Fuel treatments are a common approach because they can be a highly effective at reducing risk in the WUI (Stephens et al, 2012;Prichard et al, 2021). Preparedness, on the other hand, includes approaches that help ensure effective response when a fire does occur, such as training and equipment for response organizations; coordination pathways between emergency responders; and community wildfire plans (Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, 2017;Tymstra et al, 2020).…”

Current Standing of Longleaf Pine Trees under Climate Change

“…However, much is still not understood about how climate change will impact each of these factors, as well as the trees themselves. If climate change can affect environmental, conservational, and economical sectors of forest ecology, and longleaf pine is a crucial southeastern species, then more must be known about how changing climate will impact longleaf pine success [30][31][32] . Here we outline what is known and highlight existing gaps in our current understanding of how climate change is expected to impact longleaf pine growth and reproduction, two key metrics for conservation.…”