Wildfires: Private Landowners, Nature, and Public Policy
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 An RFF First Wednesday Seminar
Forest wildfires imperil the public, damage property, and blacken hundreds of thousands of acres each year. Our panelists will consider management of and responses to wildfires, from the perspectives of private landholders and federal, state, and local decisionmakers. Among issues to be explored:
How should policymakers balance "man versus wild"? How should fire protection be provided, while at the same time acknowledging the role of some fires as part of a natural ecological cycle? What are the differences in the responsibilities of federal, state, and local policymakers? What is the appropriate mix of prevention and suppression activities? What is the role played by private landowners, whose actions affect a common fire risk? And finally, who should bear the financial cost of preventing and suppressing wildfires and providing compensation for fire-related
property damage?
Introduction
Phil Sharp
President, Resources for the Future |
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Roger Sedjo
Senior Fellow, RFF |
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Ross Gorte
Specialist in Natural Resources Policy,
Congressional Research Service
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Arun S. Malik
Associate Professor of Economics,
George Washington University |
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Robert H. Nelson,
Professor of Environmental Policy,
School of Public Policy, University of Maryland |
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| Question and Answer Session |
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At RFF's monthly First Wednesday Seminar Series, scholars and experts exchange ideas and views with the RFF community on important energy, environmental, and natural resource topics.