Wildfires in the Rocky Mountains: A Smoky View for the Future - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Wildfires in the Rocky Mountains: A Smoky View for the Future Kaitlin Meszaros, Air Quality Professional Kleinfelder, Inc. AWMA Rocky Mountain States Technical Conference October 30, 2014

Outline  Historical reference  Current trend  The carbon cycle  Role of fires in the carbon cycle  Future projection  Impacts on the Rocky Mountain region  Questions

Historical Reference (Hurteau et al, 2008)

Current Trend Waldo Canyon Fire, CO Milford Flat Fire, UT (KSL.com, 2009) (Huffington Post, 2012)

The Carbon Cycle (NOAA, 2014)

Roles of Fires in the Carbon Cycle (Joint Fire Science Program, 2010)

Future Projection (Liu et. al, 2012)

Impacts on the Rocky Mountain Region  Increased likelihood for more frequent, more catastrophic wildfire  Regrowth post-wildfire  Biosphere carbon status  Other landscape effects  Regulatory impacts (Hurteau et al, 2008)

Questions? Contact Information: Kaitlin Meszaros kmeszaros@kleinfelder.com

References Denver Post (2012). “Colorado wildfire: Waldo Canyon Fire declared 100% contained”. Denver Post. July 10, 2012. Hurteau, M.D., Koch, G.W. and Hungate, B.A. (2008). "Carbon protection and fire risk reduction: toward a full accounting of forest carbon offsets. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2008; 6. doi: 10.1890/070187 IPCC Working Group I (2007). “The Carbon Cycle and Climate System”. IPCC Working Group 1: The Physical Science Basis. Section 7.3.1.1. Figure 7.3. Joint Fire Science Program, 2010. “Fire Science Brief: Sink or Source? Fire and the Forest Carbon Cycle”. Fire Science Brief. January 2010. KSL.com (2009). “Rehabilitation efforts of Milford Flat Fire area honored”. Retrieved July 6, 2014. http://www.ksl.com/?sid=6441652 Liu, Y., et al. Future U.S. wildfire potential trends projected using a dynamically downscaled climate change scenario. Forest Ecology Management (2012) NOAA (2014). “PMEL Carbon Program”. Retrieved July 6, 2014. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Carbon+Cycle Stoner, L.L. (2012). “Monitoring Post-Fire Revegetation: Milford Flat Fire, Utah”. ASPRS 2012 Annual Conference. March 2012.