Last year was a record fire year with 9.1 million acres burning in the US. More than 680,000 acres burned in Oregon alone, in at least 33 different fires, one of which was a Megafire that burned over 190,000 acres. Our communities, homes, businesses and our very way of life are threatened. If we are going to make progress towards increasing fire resiliency, we must increase awareness and stimulate conversation about this important issue across all levels of society.
This month, local partners are coming together to offer three presentations in Bend, Sisters, and Sunriver of the Era of Megafires, a 70-minute, multi-media, traveling presentation hosted by Dr. Paul Hessburg, who has conducted fire and landscape ecology research for more than 27 years.
The presented material comes in the form of fast-moving, short, topic-based talks interspersed with compelling video vignettes and features the work of wildfire photographer, John Marshall. Think Ted X mixed with snappy documentary shorts and compelling photography. The videos are produced by award-winning documentary film company, North 40 Productions, of Wenatchee, WA.
Each Era of Megafires event is free to attend; however, advance registration for the Bend and Sunriver events is required. Date, time, location, and ticketing information is below:
Presented by the Deschutes Land Trust at the Tower Theater, as part of their winter Nature Nights series. UPDATE: The Bend presentation is now at capacity, please join waitlist or attend Sisters or Sunriver.
Presented by the Sunriver Owners Association and Project Wildfire at the Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic & Recreation Center (SHARC). RSVP here: https://sunrivermegafires.eventbrite.com
Presented by the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District in conjunction with Sisters Science Club at The Belfry. Tickets will be available at the door, donations will be accepted but not required (pre-registration is not required).
Paul Hessburg, Ph.D., is a Research Ecologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service. He has been studying historical and modern era forests of the Inland West for the last 32 years, publishing extensively in leading national and international journals. His work documents large changes in forest conditions and how these changes, along with climate change, have set the stage for large & severe wildfires. This presentation is an outgrowth of his research and his concerns for the future.
