Land on Fire: The New Reality of Wildfire in the West

(Hardback)

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We are living in the age of wildfire-it is changing the land, the economy, the welfare of wildlife, and the liveability of the American West. 'Land on Fire' explores the science behind wildfire and what is being done to control it. Land on Fire-by bestselling nature writer Gary Ferguson-explores the science behind this phenomenon and the research being done to find a solution. You'll learn about the heroic efforts of those responsible for fighting fire, how years of fire suppression and chronic drought have combined to make the situation more dire, and how nature reacts in the aftermath of flames. Colour photographs throughout reveal the beauty and terror of fire and the stunning effect it has on the landscape. Land on Fire is for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of our time of fire. AUTHOR: Gary Ferguson has written many books on nature and science including Hawks Rest, the first nonfiction work to win both the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award for Nonfiction, 'Decade of the Wolf', 'The Great Divide', and 'The Carry Home'. His articles have appeared in Vanity Fair, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. His lectures on wilderness are a culmination of 30 years researching-and experiencing-the marriage of wild lands, history, myth, and narrative psychology. Visit him at wildwords.net. SELLING POINTS: . A year-round growing concern: In 2015, the US spent more than $2 billion fighting and suppressing wildfire. In 2016, the earliest fire broke out in February. Wildfires are now a continual threat through much of the West, starting earlier and raging longer and more intensely than ever before. . nThe science behind the problem: Readers learn how climate change, faster snowmelt, and years of aggressive fire suppression have resulted in an increase in wildfires throughout the western US and Canada. They also learn why wildfires happen, the role they play in the natural world, and what is being done to find a solution. . Illustrated Nature Writing: Fully illustrated with colour photographs that reveal the beauty and terror of a live fire and the aftermath of the fire both immediately and over time. 96 col photos, 5 illustrations

Reviews

"The massive fire seasons of recent years make it clear we need to think hard about the future of our forests. This compact but comprehensive book offers some conversation starters for how we might reimagine our relationship with the woods." --Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

"For readers seeking a nuanced understanding of America's increasingly extreme wildfire problem, this is a superb overview. It's just the sort of book I wish someone had handed me when I became a fire lookout fifteen years ago. I learned much from it. You will too." --Philip Connors, author of Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout

"Land on Fire provides a complete view of what it is like to deal with the extreme nature of wildfires out of control, and what the future may bring." --Bob Fry, Type 2 Incident Commander, Northern Rockies

"Ferguson provides an incisive rendering of fire ecology, the social impacts of wildfire, and an inside view of the state-of-the-art science and technology behind today's heroic firefighting efforts." --Dr. Cristina Eisenberg, chief scientist at Earthwatch Institute and author of The Carnivore Way: Coexisting with and Conserving North America's Predators

"A stark portrait." --NYBG's Plant Talk

"A terrific book that all designers--but particularly those who live in the West--should study as we re-imagine our relationship with forests and western landscapes." --Garden Design Online

"An introduction to wildland fire, geared toward aspiring firefighters or those with an interest in broad coverage of the subject." --Choice

"Land on Fire invites us to expand our own awareness about the lessons we, individually and culturally, could learn from the many functions of fire." --Cultivating Place

"Ferguson explores the ways in which fire affects our land, our economy and the ecosystem, and highlights the efforts to prevent and fight wildfires." --California Bountiful

"Comprehensive. . . . highly readable." --The Denver Post

"A profusely illustrated. . . fact-filled. . . eloquent account [that] does precisely what it sets out to do." --The Oregonian

"Written in accessible, elegant language, Land of Fire feels almost like a series of engaging lectures on the science of fire, the history of fire suppression and the mechanics of wildland firefighting, interwoven with a detailed scenario of how a hypothetical fire in southern Colorado would play out." --Daily Camera

Author Bio

Gary Ferguson has written many books on nature and science including Hawks Rest, the first nonfiction work to win both the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award for Nonfiction, Decade of the Wolf, The Great Divide, and The Carry Home. His articles have appeared in Vanity Fair, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. His lectures on wilderness are a culmination of 30 years researchingand experiencingthe marriage of wild lands, history, myth, and narrative psychology. Visit him at wildwords.net.