October 8, 2021 – Update: this talk was so engaging and important to current and future environmental impacts, the EMA of BC is providing the presentation slides and recorded talk at no cost to everyone – members and non-members. If you found this talk to be enlightening and thought provoking, you can view other Education Sessions if you become an EMA of BC member.
Please join us for this special and very relevant presentation by Dr. Robert Gray, Robert W. Gray Consulting Ltd. on Wednesday September 29, 2021 at 12 PM on Zoom. Register now, and a link will be sent to your email the week of the event.
Talk details
The fire season of 2021 is, unfortunately, a glimpse into the future of what BCs’ fire seasons are likely to look in our changing climate. And more over, there will be far worse fire seasons as well. So, how did we get here? What were fire conditions like prior to the colonization of the province, how did fire behave and what were the effects? How did fire affect air quality, water resources and wildlife? Today, fires are larger and more severe with significant negative effects on human health, the environment and our economy. Climate change predictions suggest those effects are likely to be worse in the decades ahead. We can, however, mitigate future fire behaviour and fire effects through a range of actions both preventative and responsive.
Biography
Robert W. Gray is an AFE certified Wildland Fire Ecologist and the president of R.W. Gray Consulting Ltd. Robert has over 40 years experience in the research and application of many facets of fire science, including fire regime reconstruction, fire behavior and effects analysis, national and international fire management policy, and hazardous fuel management. Most recently Robert has focused efforts on gaining a better understanding of fire behavior in mountain pine beetle impacted stands, the impact of past fires on future fire spread and severity, and fuel treatment effectiveness. R.W. Gray Consulting Ltd. clients include: US Forest Service, Parks Canada, The World Bank, State of Oregon, State of Washington, ?aq’am and Tsilhqot’in First Nation, B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, B.C. Ministry of Environment, University of Washington, University of Idaho and University of British Columbia, several rural BC communities (Cranbrook, Kimberley, Vernon), the BC forest industry, and many others.