Today we kick off our new series on natural disasters- earthquakes, forest fires, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and other natural forces shape the world around us and impact many lives. In this episode, we talk with Gib King, about why forest fires start, how they are controlled, and what are potential solutions to prevent massive and damaging fires.

Memorable Quotes

“The weather’s changing…when it’s dry and hot, things are going to burn. The likelihood of fire is going to keep increasing dramatically.”

“[Controlling fires in a neighborhood] is basically like going into war…the strategy changes completely [compared to woodland fires] and it gets very dangerous putting peoples’ lives at risk to protect structures…trying to evacuate people.”

“Controlled burns, prescribed fire is a great management tool to regulate our fuel loadings, to mitigate potential massive, catastrophic wild fires.”

“We are way behind…we’re probably 100 years behind on management. [Controlled] fire is one management tool, but forest management, in general, is another tool that’s been underutilized for a long time.”

Resources

If you want to follow the Smokey Bear Twitter account that Rachel mentioned, click here.