Karl Glasener, SSSA 202.408.5382 kglasener@soils.org

Tamara Wagester, C-FARE 202.408.8522 tamarawagester@cfare.org

Nadine Lymn, ESA 202.833.8773 ext. 205 202.833.8773 ext. 205

MEDIA ADVISORY: For Immediate Release
July 7, 2008

Ecology, Soil and Economics Societies to Hold Briefings on Post-Wildfire Resource Management

WASHINGTON—Three prominent scientific societies will present briefings on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, July 9, to inform lawmakers about how to manage natural areas after they have been consumed by wildfires. Jointly sponsored by the Ecological Society of America (ESA), the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE), the briefings will comprise three experts in the fields of forest ecology, forest soil science and resource economics.

Since 1990, the number and acreage of fires in the United States has increased by 30-fold compared to historical fires dating back to 1910. During the summer months, these wildfires devastate hundreds of square miles of forests in the western U.S. Burned areas are often vulnerable to soil erosion, which can lead to landslides, river sedimentation, plant and animal loss and contaminated watersheds. The management of burned areas has direct implications for the regeneration of these valuable ecosystem resources.
“Research into effective management of post-fire ecosystems is an investment in our future,” says Dr. Norm Christensen, a fire ecologist and president of ESA. “We should rely heavily on our ability to mimic nature to promote healthy ecosystems and sustainable ecosystem services, which benefit all humankind.”
In recent years, new issues have exacerbated the wildfire problem. Climate change has created desert-like conditions across much of the central and western U.S., causing fires to burn larger and hotter and amplifying negative effects on soil quality and ecosystem services. Alternative approaches to fire suppression, regeneration and salvage logging have also created management controversies. The panel will take a scientific approach to management of these lands and the restoration of their natural resources after the fires have burned.
The panel consists of three wildfire experts:

• Dr. Norm Christensen, forest ecologist at Duke University. Sponsored by ESA.
• Dr. Dan Neary, soil scientist at the Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Forest Service. Sponsored by SSSA.
• Dr. Stephen Swallow, resource economist at the University of Rhode Island. Sponsored by C-FARE.

Both briefings will take place on Wednesday, July 9. The Senate briefing will be held in the Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing Room, Senate Russell Room 328A, at 10 a.m. The House briefing will include lunch and will be held at noon in room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office Building.