Climate Change on Wildfire Activity
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S. HRG. 110–228 CLIMATE CHANGE ON WILDFIRE ACTIVITY HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION TO CONSIDER SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENTS OF THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ON WILDFIRE ACTIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 24, 2007 ( Printed for the use of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 39–889 PDF WASHINGTON : 2007 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico, Chairman DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho RON WYDEN, Oregon LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota RICHARD BURR, North Carolina MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana JIM DEMINT, South Carolina MARIA CANTWELL, Washington BOB CORKER, Tennessee KEN SALAZAR, Colorado JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, Arkansas GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont JIM BUNNING, Kentucky JON TESTER, Montana MEL MARTINEZ, Florida ROBERT M. SIMON, Staff Director SAM E. FOWLER, Chief Counsel FRANK MACCHIAROLA, Republican Staff Director JUDITH K. PENSABENE, Republican Chief Counsel (II) C O N T E N T S STATEMENTS Page Barrasso, Hon. John, U.S. Senator From Wyoming ............................................. 2 Bartuska, Ann, Deputy Chief, Research and Development; Accompanied by Susan Conard, National Program Leader, Fire Ecology Research, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture .................................................................... 6 Bingaman, Hon. Jeff, U.S. Senator From New Mexico ........................................ 1 Corker, Hon. Bob, U.S. Senator From Tennessee ................................................. 5 Craig, Hon. Larry E., U.S. Senator From Idaho ................................................... 5 Domenici, Hon. Pete V., U.S. Senator From New Mexico .................................... 3 Helms, John A., Professor Emeritus of Forestry, University of California, Berkeley, CA ......................................................................................................... 17 Salazar, Hon. Ken, U.S. Senator From Colorado .................................................. 3 Swetnam, Thomas W., Director, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, and Pro- fessor of Dendrochronology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ ...................... 22 Tester, Hon. Jon, U.S. Senator From Montana ..................................................... 5 Wyden, Hon. Ron, U.S. Senator From Oregon ...................................................... 4 APPENDIXES APPENDIX I Responses to additional questions .......................................................................... 47 APPENDIX II Additional material submitted for the record ........................................................ 71 (III) CLIMATE CHANGE ON WILDFIRE ACTIVITY MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2007 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:04 p.m. in room SD– 366, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Jeff Bingaman, chair- man, presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JEFF BINGAMAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO The CHAIRMAN. The hearing will come to order. Thank you all for being here. The likelihood that global warming would result in increased wildfire activity and fire-suppression costs was discussed at a hearing in this committee more than 27 years ago. Since then, we’ve had numerous hearings to consider the science of climate change and also the science related to wildfires. But this is the first hearing, I’m aware of, to consider the impact of global warming specifically on wildfire activity. A report, released earlier this month by the GAO, reported that a group of experts convened by it and by the National Academies of Sciences, quote, ‘‘generally agreed that the scientific community has reached consensus that climate change will cause forest fires to grow in size and severity,’’ end quote. That consensus is reflected in the fourth assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Cli- mate Change. It concludes that, quote, ‘‘An intensification and ex- pansion of wildfires is likely, globally, and that—with that, an ex- tended period of high risk—high fire risk and large increases in area burned in North America as a result of global warming.’’ De- spite the enormous efforts of firefighters, and while—wildfires have become larger, they’ve become more intense, they’ve become more difficult, and they’ve become more expensive to control in recent years. We’ve often discussed the role that past wildfire suppression and other land uses have had on fueling wildfire activity in some areas in recent years. It’s clear, from the science, that climate change is driving the dramatic growth in wildfire activity, and that it is like- ly to get worse. A number of studies predict that global warming will increase the number of acres burned by wildfires in the United States by 25 to 75 percent by the middle of the century. Alaska, the Southeast, the Southwest, and the northern Rockies appear to be at particularly high risk. This information is important to this committee because of our work on global warming and on wildfire policies. For example, the wildfire situation is a stark reminder of (1) 2 the enormous current and potential costs of not acting on global warming. That’s a point that was made in the Stern report that we received earlier in the year. Along with rising temperatures, Fed- eral wildland fire spending has more than tripled in less than 10 years. It’s risen from 800 million in 1996 to 3 billion this year. It also is a reminder that, while the Forest Service’s work to contain its wildland firefighting costs is critical, those efforts will not solve the growing budget crisis that it faces. We have four distinguished scientists testifying before the com- mittee today, and let me just mention who they are and then defer to Senator Domenici for any opening statement that he has. Our three witnesses today are Dr. Ann Bartuska, who is the For- est Service’s deputy chief of research and development. Thank you very much for being here. She’s accompanied by Dr. Susan Conard, who is the Forest Service’s national program leader for fire ecology research; Dr. Thomas Swetnam, who is the director of the Labora- tory of Tree-Ring Research, and professor of dendrochronology at the University of Arizona; and also Dr. John A. Helms, who is pro- fessor emeritus at the University of California, testifying on behalf of the Society of American Foresters. So, we welcome all of you. Now let me turn to Senator Domenici for any opening statement he would like to make. [The prepared statements of Senators Barrasso and Salazar fol- low:] PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN BARRASSO, U.S. SENATOR FROM WYOMING Wildfire and its implications for people and resources are of great interest in Wyo- ming. Fires are growing increasingly larger and more frequent in our state and across the Rocky Mountain West. This trend raises questions of how we as a Nation should provide for the safety of our people and the sustainability of our land. We know that our state has sustained a drought for almost a decade in some areas. We know wildfires are increasing in size and scope—as they do in hot and dry years. We know that forests continue to stockpile fuels without proper harvesting. They suffer infestation of bark beetles and other invasive species that increase fuel loads. We also know an active program of harvesting and thinning forest lands can com- bat these conditions. The people of Wyoming need to see action—action that will allow for responsible harvesting of public and private lands to reduce fire risk. Thinning stands and treating forests to reduce fuel loads is the only proven meth- od of reducing the scope and intensity of wildfire before problems occur. Fires ravage overgrown, hot, dry fuel loads, but thinned stands in healthy forests withstand lightning strikes and drought years. The right path of action is clear. We need to manage our lands responsibly. So, where are the Forest Service regulations implementing an active program of forest management? Where is Congress’ call to public agencies and private citizens to manage their forests appropriately? The citizens of Wyoming deserve an active management plan. I will be interested to hear the witnesses testimony not in regard to climate change, but in regard to addressing the threat of hot, dry years by mitigating the increased wildfire risk. We’ve experienced stretches of devastatingly dry years in the past. We will see similar events in the future. Making one issue the scapegoat for all of our woes is easy and grabs a headline in the paper. Finding the will to make sound policy decisions based on common sense is the challenge. 3 PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. KEN SALAZAR, U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO I want to thank Chairman Bingaman and Ranking Member Domenici for holding today’s hearing on global climate change and its effects on wildfire activity in the United States. I would also like to thank our witnesses for taking the time to share their expertise with us today. Climate change is a very serious problem. In June, the Senate passed an energy bill that has the potential to curb the progression of climate change by