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Drought, climate change and forest practices elevate Utah wildfire risk
Posted by Salt Lake Tribune: Judy Fahys on June 4th, 2013
Salt Lake Tribune: So is the hazard created by modern forest management, said Michael Jenkins, associate professor in USU’s Quinney College of Natural Resources. Aggressive management has been "essentially eliminated," and dry forest undergrowth has built up, turning parts of Utah into tinderboxes, he said.
"Forests today are in a much different state than they were 200 years ago when fires were more common," Jenkins said. "We have suppressed fires for 100 years, which has allowed fuels to build up, trees to get...
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Climate change’s impact on wildfires before Utah House Committee Monday
Posted by Salt Lake Tribune: Judy Fahys on February 4th, 2013
Salt Lake Tribune: A House committee is set to discuss on Monday afternoon how to manage the impacts of climate change in Utah’s wildlands.
The premise of HB 77, sponsored by Heber City Republican Kraig Powell, is that the changing climate is already causing bigger and more hazardous wildfires in Utah. That means it is important to give land managers the proper tools to prepare, the thinking goes.
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Supporters of the bill include academics and a group of students who say state...
Climate change bill readied for 2013 Legislature
Posted by Salt Lake Tribune: Judy Fahys on January 23rd, 2013
Salt Lake Tribune: Climate change is making it harder and costlier to deal with wildfire on state lands, so state’s land managers should take up the proper tools, according to a bill headed for the 2013 Utah Legislature.
Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Midway, is proposing legislation, HB77, that urges the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands to adopt pre-suppression strategies with an eye on the how climate change is already affecting wildfire in the Utah.
"This will give the division the tools it needs to respond...
Scientists trace climate change in cave’s stalagmites
Posted by Salt Lake Tribune: Judy Fahys on September 22nd, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune: For seemingly endless miles in every direction above and around the caves, drought is blighting the simmering-hot desert. In contrast, life inside the mile-long cave network relies on steady 50-degree temperatures and dank air.
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But Gretchen Baker, an author and park ecologist, explains that inside and outside are intimately related and always have been. To see a sign of the record drought outside, she shows visitors to two popular...
New report: Climate change shares blame in Utah fires
Posted by Salt Lake Tribune: Judy Fahys on June 30th, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune: You could blame some of Utah’s wildfires on bad judgment -- starting a hot engine on dry grass or target shooting on parched hillsides.
You could point to bad luck, namely lightning and wind.
Related Stories Herriman fire: Evacuation ends, small miracles seen Published June 30, 2012 At a glance
But there is another culprit in all the blazes: climate change.
That’s the assessment in a white paper last week from climate scientists.
"Climate change is clearly playing a role," said Kevin...
Climate change to create a dustier Southwest
Posted by Salt Lake Tribune: Judy Fahys on May 14th, 2011
Salt Lake Tribune: A warmer Southwest might very well mean a dustier Southwest.
That’s the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of California-Los Angeles that has far-reaching implications for all of Utah, where healthy range is vital to livestock, wildlife and recreation, as well as air quality and water supplies.
Seth Munson, a USGS ecologist and the study’s lead author, noted that looking at how climate change might affect wind erosion in arid landscapes...