This week firefighters and forest managers spoke at a briefing sponsored by the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change. While wildfires affect the western United States most heavily today, changing weather conditions in the East might make wildfire a more frequent occurrence in the more densely populated areas along the Atlantic Coast.
Joe Duda, Deputy State Forester, Colorado State Forest Service, participated in the forum on behalf of the National Association of State Foresters. His comments focused on the importance of actively managing forests to increase resilience to wildfire and insects and disease outbreaks and to continue generating a wide range of benefits such as clean water, clean air, forest products, recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat.