University Forum
OREGON ON FIRE
Debating the science and policy of forest fires
April 22, 2018
University of Oregon
A public event hosted by University Forum and Oregon Forensics
In the Summer of 2017, all Oregonians experienced the awesome power of wildland fires with every breath. The nexus of fire ecology and forest policy became a topic of great interest to nearly all Oregonians, not merely the concern of forest managers, the timber industry, and ecologists.
What are the factors driving the massive wildland fires experienced in 2017?
Where do leading fire ecologists agree and where do they disagree regarding the science of wildland fires? Can their incidence be reduced? Should their incidence be reduced? What are the consequences for the forests and for humans and animals in the state?
What policy and regulatory interventions, if any, can affect the recurrence of wild fires in the decades ahead? What policy interventions are appropriate following massive wildland fires?
These are the types of questions laypeople and experts are asking and debating in Oregon today, in editorials, letters to the editor, local television and radio news coverage, and in workplaces, coffee houses, diners, and around the dinner table. It is also driving policy debates in Salem and across the country.
Bringing important scientific and policy questions into the public eye is the long-standing mission of the endowed University Forum at the University of Oregon.
In service of this mission, University Forum is organizing a public dialogue for April 22, 2018, hosted by Oregon Forensics to explore and debate the state of science and policy for wildland fires in this state.
Our vision is to organize two panels, one on science and another on policy, in an event that is open to the public and the media. Consistent with the mission of University Forum, the event incorporates diverse perspectives about both the science and policy to provide for a robust discussion and debate at the event and beyond.
Two objectives motivate this initiative:
- Demonstrating that civil and productive dialogue is possible among people with sharply differing views about important policy questions. In our increasingly polarized society, too few spaces for public dialogue and debate that is both civil and spirited exist and it is the foundational mission of University Forum to provide and promote such spaces for the benefit of the campus and broader community.
- This is a liminal moment because recent experience has sensitized nearly all Oregonians to importance of the fire and forest policy nexus. That interest is evident in informal discussions across the state and in our major media. There is now serious discussion about whether to make significant changes in forest policy given recent experiences and, far more significantly, an opportunity to debate and decide on the substance and direction of those potential significant changes.
While we anticipate the consideration of a wide range of issues, the two major questions organize both the science and policy panels:
- What should be done before the fire?
- What should be done after the fire?
The program is organized around two panel discussions. The first is designed to elicit and focus debates among fire ecologists and forest scientists and the second to invite discussion and debate among policy makers and stakeholders. We are securing the participation of at least four well-regarded and influential scientists with differing views on both questions. We are recruiting policy makers and stakeholders, such as members of the logging and environmental communities for the second panel focused on policy options, in particular, on legislation likely to be introduced in Salem.
Scientists and policy stakeholders interested in participating in the panel sessions or attending the event should contact Director of Forensics and University Forum, Dr. Trond Jacobsen, a member of the Robert Clark Honors College faculty at the University of Oregon:
Trond Jacobsen
Robert Clark Honors College
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97401-1293
541-600-0762