I value feeling safe and not having to worry about super fires being a risk to safety (both as a result of the fire itself and as a result of the air quality implications).
In the future that I envision, super fires are less common and less severe as a result of smarter monitoring and prescribed fires.
One specific intervention that can help with this is getting more people on board to participate in citizen science projects. There truly is power in numbers and the more citizens that can understand fires and help report the state of forests (similar to the Rink Watch initiative from "Ice and Fire: Tracking Canada's Climate Crisis"), the better we can gauge fire risks. It can also help to educate a wider audience about prescribed fires and other misconceptions surrounding this topic. From there, the experts can intervene, and with this expanded access to data, they can make more informed decisions.
Hi Navkiran, I absolutely agree with you that we should have more people join citizen science projects, and I think the government perhaps can have more funds into such projects to encourage people to help report about the forest.
Hi Navkiran, I like your intervention recommendation! I'm from Southern Ontario and have a pond in my back yard that we skate on (almost) every year. Before this week I didn't know about the Rink Watch initiative but I want to sign up this year and contribute to the research.
Hi Navkiran!
I share your same values and vision. Super fires will continue to be a significant concern, and prescribed burns and monitoring are necessary to reduce their severity.
I also like the creative intervention you suggested! When it comes to managing wildfires, more data, even if it is less accurate, is always better. How could we get the public more involved with citizen science projects? I'm thinking a key first step would be maximizing accessibility. Perhaps a group of scientists could create an app or website, similar to RinkWatch, where participants tag areas with large quantities of deadfall or other potential fuel for wildfires. Such information might help officials plan prescribed burns.
Great ideas here! I love the idea of using citizen science projects to educate more people about prescribed fires and the common misconceptions around them.
I agree that we need to put an empahasis on citizen science projects. This could be through mapping out our forest ecosystem to determine how likely a fire will spread.
Yes I agree getting more of the general public to support scientifically backed projects is a great idea.