SMOKEY BEAR:  FRIEND OR FOE OF OUR FORESTS? with Maureen Kennedy, UW Tacoma

After decades of fire suppression, land use changes, and with increasing temperatures associated with climate change we have recently experienced the largest and most destructive wildfires of our lifetimes. In this talk we will explore the science of how wildfires spread and how we might be able to mitigate wildfire hazard. We will consider whether the legacy of Smokey Bear is ultimately one of friend or foe to our forests.

Maureen Kennedy is an Assistant Professor at UW Tacoma in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. She obtained her PhD at UW Seattle in Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management. With scientists in the US Forest Service and other institutions across the country Maureen studies forest and fuels management, wildfire burn severity, and fire regimes in the present and in the future under climate change.

Part of the Grit City Think & Drink series. Grit City Think & Drink brings scholars and experts from various disciplines face-to-face with the general public in the comfortable, lively atmosphere at The Swiss Restaurant and Pub. The evening begins with a presentation or lecture which leads to an moderated discussion with the audience. Grit City Think & Drink is free to the public and open to all ages.