Scott Stephens

Past forest management in frequent-fire adapted forests has increased their fire hazards and vulnerability to widespread drought/bark beetle mortality and climate change is making this situation even worse. While there are big challenges to conserving these forests in the western US we have the research and tools to move forward. Partnerships with Indigenous people could accelerate this process. 

Speaker Biography

Scott Stephens is interested in the interactions of wildland fire and ecosystems. This includes how prehistoric fires once interacted with ecosystems, how current wildland fires are affecting ecosystems, and how future fires and management will influence people and ecosystems. He is also interested in wildland fire and forest policy and how it can be improved to meet the challenges of the coming decades, both nationally and internationally. Working with Indigenous partners to learn how to steward ecosystems into the future with climate change is a key area of research.

Stephens has given testimony on fire and forest policy at the US House of Representatives, the White House, California Assembly and Senate, California Governor’s office, and is currently on the US Wildfire Commission created by the Biden Administration.  He is one of the leaders of the Stewardship Project which is a partnership with Indigenous people to improve federal fire policy.