Addressing the Impacts of Catastrophic Wildfires Through Proactive Forest Management and Wood Utilization

Increasingly, Michigan has been impacted by the adverse effects of wildfires across the western United States and Canada. Emerging evidence suggests that these wildfires are in part driven by a changing climate and legacies of past management, specifically fire suppression. Current climate projections show that the risk of large-scale and severe wildfires will continue throughout the end of the century. Curbing catastrophic wildfires and their adverse effects on human health and livelihoods requires not only land-based contributions to climate mitigation but reductions in emissions across all sectors. Adopting a broader mindset to forest management and policy to address catastrophic wildfires through landscape-scale adaptive management is needed to protect the future of our forests and human health in Michigan and beyond. Furthermore, investing in emerging forest products and bioenergy could provide a necessary source of finance for forest management and additional climate mitigation benefits.