Human Factors in Western Wildfires

The Rim Fire, which has burned a large area on the doorstep of the internationally famous Yosemite National Park, has prompted an opinion piece in the New York Times. This considers the variety of factors that are driving wildfire trends in the American West, and includes comments from various experts, including Tom Swetnam (Director of the Tree Ring Lab), who specifically addresses the human factors in the West’s fire history and future.

• The Yosemite Inferno in the Context of Forest Policy, Ecology and Climate Change by Andrew C. Revkin