Learning to coexist with wildfire.
The impacts of escalating wildfire in many regions - the lives and homes lost, the expense of suppression and the damage to ecosystem services - necessitate a more sustainable coexistence with wildfire. Climate change and continued development on fire-prone landscapes will only compound current problems. Emerging strategies for managing ecosystems and mitigating risks to human communities provide some hope, although greater recognition of their inherent variation and links is crucial. Without a more integrated framework, fire will never operate as a natural ecosystem process, and the impact on society will continue to grow. A more coordinated approach to risk management and land-use planning in these coupled systems is needed.
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Division of Ecosystem Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Max A
MA
Moritz
1] Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Division of Ecosystem Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. [2] Forest Sciences Center of Catalonia &Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications, Pujada del Seminari, 28250 Solsona, Spain.
Enric
E
Batllori
University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
Ross A
RA
Bradstock
Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
A Malcolm
AM
Gill
RMIT University, 124 Little La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.
John
J
Handmer
US Forest Service, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington DC 20250-1111, USA.
Paul F
PF
Hessburg
CSIRO, Clayton South, Victoria 3169, Australia.
Justin
J
Leonard
US Forest Service, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington DC 20250-1111, USA.
Sarah
S
McCaffrey
University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
Dennis C
DC
Odion
University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder 80309-0450, Colorado, USA.
Tania
T
Schoennagel
Conservation Biology Institute, 136 SW Washington Avenue, Suite 202, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, USA.
Alexandra D
AD
Syphard
D001315:Australia; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D058735:Environmental Policy; D005390:Fires / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D065928:Forests; D005843:Geography; D006798:Housing; D006802:Human Activities; D006801:Humans; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D011156:Population Density; D012308:Risk Management; D015206:Southwestern United States