Forest fire management, climate change, and the risk of catastrophic carbon losses

David M. J. S. Bowman, Brett P. Murphy, Matthias M. Boer, Ross A. Bradstock, Geoffrey J. Cary, Mark A. Cochrane, Roderick J. Fensham, Meg A. Krawchuk, Owen F. Price, Richard J. Williams

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    108 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Approaches to management of fireprone forests are undergoing rapid change, driven by recognition that technological attempts to subdue fire at large scales (fire suppression) are ecologically and economically unsustainable. However, our current framework for intervention excludes the full scope of the fire management problem within the broader context of fire−vegetation−climate interactions. Climate change may already be causing unprecedented fire activity, and even if current fires are within the historical range of variability, models predict that current fire management problems will be compounded by more frequent extreme fire-conducive weather conditions (eg Fried et al. 2004). Concern about climate change has also made the mitigation of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and increased carbon (C) storage a priority for forest managers.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)66-68
    Number of pages3
    JournalFrontiers in Ecology and Environment
    Volume11
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013

    Keywords

    • carbon
    • climatic changes
    • forest fires

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Forest fire management, climate change, and the risk of catastrophic carbon losses'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this