Climate & Wildfire Forum with Firefighters, State Foresters, and the U.S. Forest Service

July 30, 2013 - The Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change held their first roundtable, "Climate and Wildfire Forum" with firefighters, state foresters, and the U.S. Forest Service today. Witnesses discussed the extended fire season they have been fighting, the effects of climate change, and the strain they are seeing on our firefighters. The panel was lead by task force co-chairs Rep. Henry Waxman and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, as well as Senator Al Franken and Rep. Lois Capps.

EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

Dave Cleaves, Advisor to the Chief on Climate, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture

Erik Litzenberg, International Association of Fire Chiefs, and Chief, Santa Fe, New Mexico Fire Department

Rick Swan, International Association of Firefighters, and Director of Supervisory Personnel and Health and Safety, California Department of Forestry Firefighters

Dr. William Sommers, International Association of Wildland Fire, and Research Professor at the EastFIRE Laboratory, George Mason University

Joe Duda, National Association of State Foresters, and Deputy State Forester, Colorado State Forest Service