Norm Christensen is an expert on wildfires, and has conducted extensive studies on the impact of drought, logging practices, land use and management policies on wildfire management.
tel: (919) 613-8052: e: normc@duke.edu

Research focus: Atmospheric chemistry. Regional and global modeling. Atmospheric chemical data analysis.
   
In a recent Science article, Kasibhatla reported that drought-induced wildfires during El Nino climatic cycles may be undocumented sources of greenhouse gas emissions that cannot be traced to smokestacks, vehicular emissions and other known contributors. “This suggests that the variability and intensity of El Nino may be one of the most critical components of climate regulating future carbon,” he says.

Prasad Kasibhatla has found that wildfires may be previously undocumented sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
tel: (919) 613-8075: e: psk9@duke.edu

Research focus: Forest fires. Community ecology. Disturbance and succession. Sustainable forest ecosystem management.
   
Christensen says current wildfire management practices have backfired, because they fail to take into account local conditions like weather and topography, and don’t give top priority to the most hazardous fuel source – ground fuels.
   
“Fire suppression, logging and grazing on fire-prone public land were intended to reduce the risk of fires, but many Western forests are now more flammable," he says, adding that the federal government must reprioritize how and where its wildfire management dollars are spent.
   
“Restoration of normal fuel loads by thinning undergrowth makes enormous sense," he says. "We must, however, understand that intense fires in some regions are equally a consequence of abnormal drought conditions and not abnormal fuel accumulations. Our fire management policies and protocols should be tailored to the particular conditions in each region, not applied to all regions as if one size fits all.”