Is the Forest Service "Falsifying the Scientific Record" on Wildfires? With Chad Hanson, PhD

05/22/23 • 29 min

Wildfires are a fact of life in the American west. They have played a major role in our western ecosystems for millenia. But as the climate crisis deepens, and more people move into wildfire country, fires loom larger and larger in the public consciousness. Wildfires are reshaping everything from our landscapes to our politics, and the implications of how we respond to them will play a huge role in shaping our future.
In the midst of this, a scientific debate is raging over what the science tells us about how to protect communities and live with fire. At the heart of that debate is the Forest Service. As the manager of almost 200 million acres of land, there is a tremendous amount at stake in how the US Forest Service interprets that science and implements management policy.
So I’m excited to be joined by one of the authors of a new scientific paper alleging that the forest service has been falsifying the scientific record around wildfires in order to justify more logging on federal lands.
Chad Hanson is the director and principal ecologist for the California based John Muir Project, which he co-founded in the 90s.
Show Notes:
Countering Omitted Evidence of Variable Historical Forests and Fire Regime in Western USA Dry Forests: The Low-Severity-Fire Model Rejected
Chad's book, Smokescreen: https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813181073/smokescreen/
https://johnmuirproject.org/
Protect Mature and Old Growth Forests on Federal Land: https://www.climate-forests.org/take-action
Protect Oregon's State Forests: https://coastrange.org/stateforests/

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Previous Episode

Oregon's State Forests Need Your Help! Creating an Enduring Conservation Legacy on the North Coast

Oregon manages over half a million acres of state forest land. That land is every bit as public as national forests, but historically, the state and the timber industry has treated it as just another timber plantation.

But that’s finally changing, and right now, the Oregon Board of Forestry is considering a Habitat Conservation plan which would set aside almost half of that land for long term stream and forest habitat conservation in the most critical areas of the forest.

This would be a huge win for salmon, steelhead, and other endangered species, and provide a major source of temperate rainforest carbon sequestration when we need it the most.
Unsurprisingly, the timber industry has launched an all-out misinformation campaign to stop this habitat conservation plan, even though it would still allow for logging in much of the state forest.

That’s where you come in. Your voice is needed, and there are many ways big and small for you to use it! If you’re inspired by this conversation today, please go to forestlegacy.org to learn more and get involved. And share this episode with your friends!

Ok, to break all of this down, I am so excited to be joined by Bob Rees. Bob is a 6th generation Oregonian who has worked for decades as a professional fishing guide, and serves as the executive director of the Northwest Guides and Anglers Association.
Show Notes:

State Forest Campaign Website: https://forestlegacy.org/

https://wildsalmoncenter.org/2020/10/19/a-70-year-conservation-plan-for-the-tillamook/

Bob Rees: https://nwguidesandanglers.org/contact-us/

Coast Range Association State Forest Page: https://coastrange.org/forests/

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Next Episode

Only YOU Can Prevent Logging Old Growth on Federal Lands! Take Action By June 20th

As regular listeners may know, the Coast Range Association is a member of the Forest Climate Coalition, which is pushing for strong and durable protections of mature and old growth forests on our federal lands.

As you probably also know, mature and old growth forests are absolute superstars for preserving biodiversity and sequestering carbon. Both of those ecosystem services are desperately needed in the face of the twin crises of climate chaos and ongoing mass species extinction.

As an added bonus, they generously offer these services free of charge, and give us cold clean drinking water to boot! What’s not to love??

Well, the timber industry has long viewed our public lands as an extension of their own fiefdoms, and many of our public lands managers remain fully bought into an outdated and destructive model of "forest management" that prioritizes plantation style tree stands and harvest quotas above all other values.

And that’s where we come in!

After years of pressure from the conservation community and in the face of mountains of scientific research, the Biden administration issued an executive order on earth day on 2022(*) aimed at inventorying and protecting mature and old growth trees and forests on federal lands.

This could, and I am underlining could with a giant metaphorical sharpie here, be an absolute game changer, and everyone listening should be incredibly excited about the potential of that executive order.

Buuut - the devil is in the details, and the only way to get from Biden’s well meaning but vague executive order to actual lasting protections for our most important forests is massive public pressure and engagement towards the federal agencies tasked with implementing that order.
Enjoy the show, get inspired, and take action at https://coastrange.org/blmaction/
Show Notes:
Coast Range Association BLM Comment Page: https://coastrange.org/blmaction/

Climate-Forests Action Page (for both the Forest Service and the BLM: https://www.climate-forests.org/take-action

CRR #45- “Fighting for Mature and Growth With Lauren Anderson”: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1046044/11295389

White House fact sheet on President Biden's Executive Order on Forests: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/22/fact-sheet-president-biden-signs-executive-order-to-strengthen-americas-forests-boost-wildfire-resilience-and-combat-global-deforestation/
(*) Note: I incorrectly stated the year of the executive order in the episode, sorry!

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