Firestorm: How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future - Hardcover

Edward Struzik

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1610918185 ISBN 13: 9781610918183

Publisher: Island Press, 2017

Synopsis

For two months in the spring of 2016, the world watched as wildfire ravaged the Canadian town of Fort McMurray. Firefighters named the fire "the Beast." It acted like a mythical animal, alive with destructive energy, and they hoped never to see anything like it again. Yet it's not a stretch to imagine we will all soon live in a world in which fires like the Beast are commonplace. A glance at international headlines shows a remarkable increase in higher temperatures, stronger winds, and drier lands- a trifecta for igniting wildfires like we've never seen before. This change is particularly noticeable in the northern forests of the United States and Canada. These forests require fire to maintain healthy ecosystems, but as the human population grows, and as changes in climate, animal and insect species, and disease cause further destabilization, wildfires have turned into a potentially uncontrollable threat to human lives and livelihoods. Our understanding of the role fire plays in healthy forests has come a long way in the past century. Despite this, we are not prepared to deal with an escalation of fire during periods of intense drought and shorter winters, earlier springs, potentially more lightning strikes and hotter summers. There is too much fuel on the ground, too many people and assets to protect, and no plan in place to deal with these challenges. In Firestorm, journalist Edward Struzik visits scorched earth from Alaska to Maine, and introduces the scientists, firefighters, and resource managers making the case for a radically different approach to managing wildfire in the 21st century. Wildfires can no longer be treated as unavoidable events because the risk and dangers are becoming too great and costly. Struzik weaves a heart-pumping narrative of science, economics, politics, and human determination and points to the ways that we, and the wilder inhabitants of the forests around our cities and towns, might yet flourish in an age of growing megafires.

About this title

Review:

In his research, he traveled widely, especially in Canada and the American Northwest, interviewing scientists, wildfire experts, forest managers, firefighters, and policymakers. The author reports that future wildfires will change the structure of the forests and the tundra, compromise the quality of water and air, and significantly impact wildlife and human activity.... What is needed, writes the author, is "meaningful investments...in scientific research, conservation, prevention, education and a better understanding of how climate, wildfire, insects, drought, flooding, and invasive species are going to shape our forests in the future." Struzik delivers a powerful message that will appeal to environmentally minded readers and students of climate change. --Kirkus Reviews

"Combining personal insights with keen investigative-journalistic skills, Struzik presents a comprehensive and compelling overview of the future of wildfire management." - Booklist

"A crackling good read on why and how megafires are burning bigger, hotter, faster and wilder through North America's forests. Science reporting so close to the ground that you can feel the heat." --- Andrew Nikiforuk, journalist and author of Slick Water and Energy of Slaves

"Powerful and thought-provoking, Firestorm expertly frames emerging wildfire trends and future challenges. Offering a timely, insightful view of our changing wildfire paradigm, this book is a must-read for students of fire as well as anyone interested in understanding, preparing for, and acting on the ways wildfire will impact our communities." --- Dr. Thomas Zimmerman, President, International Association of Wildland Fire

About the Author:

Edward Struzik is an award-winning writer and photographer. A fellow at the School of Policy Studies, Queen's Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen University in Kingston, Canada, his numerous accolades include the prestigious Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy and the Sir Sandford Fleming Medal, awarded for outstanding contributions to the understanding of science. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

About this edition

• Publisher: Island Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1610918185
• ISBN 13: 9781610918183
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 248