Speaker Series: What Fuels Wildfires?

Event Description

May is all about Wildfire Awareness! Join us for this talk with Dr. Ben Wilder to learn about the role of invasive plants in wildfires and other facets of fire in the Sonoran Desert.

Alarmingly, fire is becoming a more frequent occurrence in the desert. Previously, wet winters associated with infrequent El Niño events would be the sole occurrences when fires could establish in desert lowlands. This situation has changed with invasions of non-native grasses and other plants. In this presentation, using 2020 Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains outside Tucson as an example, Dr. Wilder will will discuss these different elements of wildfire, and also its relationship to people and urban areas.

Dr. Wilder has been director of the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill at the University of Arizona since October 2016. He is also Interim Director of CAZMEX, the Consortium for Arizona-Mexico Arid Environments.