Published works

Sustainablefiremanagementhaseludedallindustrialsocieties. Giventhegrowingnumber and magnitude of wildfire events, prescribed fire is being increasingly promoted as the key to reducing wildfire risk. However, smoke from prescribed fires can adversely affect public health. We propose that the application of air quality standards can lead to the development and adoption of sustainable fire management approaches that lower the risk of economically and ecologically damagingwildfireswhileimprovingairqualityandreducingclimate-forcingemissions. Forexample, green fire breaks at the wildland–urban interface (WUI) can resist the spread of wildfires into urban areas. These could be created through mechanical thinning of trees, and then maintained by targeted prescribedfiretocreatebiodiverseandaestheticallypleasinglandscapes. Theharvestedwoodydebris could be used for pellets and other forms of bioenergy in residential space heating and electricity generation. Collectively, such an approach would reduce the negative health impacts of smoke pollutionfromwildfires,prescribedfires,andcombustionofwoodfordomesticheating. Weillustrate such possibilities by comparing current and potential fire management approaches in the temperate and environmentally similar landscapes of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada and the island state of Tasmania in Australia.