THE ENERGY AND RESOURCES GROUP PRESENTS: TITLE: What is pyrogeography and how can it help us coexist with wildfire? SPEAKER: Max Moritz Earth Research Institute University of California, Santa Barbara DATE: March 17, 2021 TIME: 4:00-5:30 PM LOCATION: Zoom MEETING ID: 953 6989 7313 NOTE: Participants who are not eligible for a UC Berkeley-provided Zoom account can use a Zoom account provided by their institution, can create a free, consumer Zoom account (at https://zoom.us/freesignup/), or can dial in via the phone. DESCRIPTION: With increasing area burned and homes lost in California, we must somehow adapt to, and coexist with, wildfire in the coming decades.  In my talk I will review what we have learned as the field of pyrogeography has progressed, as well as where uncertainties still exist.  In the context of modeling, a key challenge is to include realistic patterns of both climate change and human activity in our future projections.  In the context of policy, a key challenge is to integrate scientific findings into guidance for land use and urban planning. BIOGRAPHY: Max got his PhD in biogeography in 1999, has been a statewide wildfire specialist with UC Cooperative Extension since 2004, and is also now an adjunct professor at the Bren School at UCSB. Much of his research is on the dynamics and effects of fire regimes at relatively broad scales. He has used different spatial approaches to analyze landscape fire patterns, including mapped drivers of fire hazard, projections of climate change effects on fire activity, and home loss studies. Through his extension activities, Max aims to translate and apply scientific information for sustainable planning and management decisions on fire-prone landscapes.