Faculty Weigh in on Montana's Wildfire Season
Montana is having a very active wildfire season. Fire danger levels have been declared high or extreme across much of the state. Governor Steve Bullock declared emergencies for the fires as well a drought disaster declaration. According to the Northern Rockies Coordination Center, as of Sept. 12, 2017, Montana has experienced a total of 1,731 fires burning 1,079,332 acres.
Not surprisingly, local and national media outlets are covering the Montana fires from many angles — and reaching out to our faculty for expert explanations. Check out these articles where our faculty weigh in on fires:- DC Delegation Visits Lolo Fire, Decries Environmental Lawsuits on Montana Public Radio featuring Dean Tom DeLuca and recently retired professor Steve Running (Aug. 24, 2017)
- Does logging help prevent forest fires? on ABC Fox Montana featuring professor Andrew Larson (Sept. 1, 2017)
- Fire and mud: Lake study reveals results of ancient wildfire in Missoulian newspaper featuring Phil Higuera's wildfire research (Sept. 2, 2017)
- The West is on Fire. Get Used to It in CityLab featuring Phil Higuera (Sept. 11, 2017)
- The Science of Fighting Wildfires Gets a Satellite Boost in Wired magazine featuring Carl Seielstad and recently retired professor Steve Running (Sept. 11, 2017)
- Wildfires raged over nine states for the first half of September. Here's what will rise from the ashes. Popular Science, featuring professor Andrew Larson (Sept. 13, 2017)
- Forest Ecologist Comments on Senator Daines' Fire Call on Montana Public Radio featuring professor Andrew Larson (Sept. 14, 2017)
- Weather systems: Push didn't come to pull in driest summer since '29 in the Missoulian newspaper featuring professor Kelsey Jencso (Sept. 13, 2017)
- Wildfires, the smoking gun of Western climate change? an op-ed by Kelsey Jencso and Nick Silverman from the Montana Climate Office, and MSU colleague Cathy Whitlock, published in Last Best News and Great Falls Tribune.
- Rep Gianforte Criticizes Environmental Groups For Logging Lawsuits on Montana Public Radio featuring professor Andrew Larson and Dean Tom DeLuca (Sept. 15, 2017)
- Zinke's fire memo calls for aggressive forest thinning in High Country News featuring professors Andrew Larson and Phil Higuera (Sept. 18, 2017)
- Montana Wildfires Reignite Loggin Debate on NPR's All Things Considered, featuring professor Andrew Larson (Sept. 21, 2017)
Watch this newly released video Wild Science: Wilderness and Fire, presented by the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute and featuring professor Andrew Larson.
