The Dramatic Rise in Western Forest Fires: Is Climate Change to Blame?

PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blaming a specific forest
fire on the impact of climate change could be asking for trouble; but so too
is ignoring obvious trends. That was clear last night from The NewsHour with
Jim Lehrer on PBS when Climate Central, an emerging authority on global
warming, explored the dramatic increase in forest fires in Washington State
over the past few decades.

Correspondent Dr. Heidi Cullen, Climate Central's Senior Research Scientist,
interviewed forest ecologists who see evidence that ecosystems of the Pacific
Northwest's once vibrant forests are under duress because of global warming.
Some observers believe that fire management practices by the U.S. Forest
Service may help account for the increase in fires. Climate Central, in
keeping with its mission to provide objective information on climate change,
went deeper.

Dr. Cullen reported that in Washington State, "Average spring temperatures
have risen nearly three degrees since 1950. Natural variability makes some
years cooler or hotter. But records show an overall warming trend."

Climate Central reported that since the late 1980s, dramatically more land
burned in Washington and the American West than in the two decades prior - and
that these trends are closely associated with warming temperatures, earlier
snowmelt, and drier forests. In addition, a University of Washington forest
ecologist pointed to epic outbreaks of the mountain pine beetle - now
pervasive in northwestern forests deep into Canada - as another consequence of
warming temperatures. The voracious beetles have turned great swaths of
Northwest trees into deadwood, with subsequent fires scarring the landscape
for generations.

Climate Central's Executive Director, Dr. Berrien Moore, who ranks among the
world's most highly regarded experts on climate change, commented, "It is
troubling but not surprising that climate change could be altering patterns of
very small pests and disease. And, that this could lead to an increase in
very large and destructive wildfires. Such is the reality of our connected
planet."

Dr. Cullen, whose work on climate change has taken her from the tropics to the
North Pole, provided the kind of additional context and information that has
become the hallmark of Climate Central's reporting. She explored the dynamic
and profound consequences that the timing of spring snowmelt can have on a
forest ecosystem. The data, folded into a mini science lesson - suggest that
the Northwest could develop a very different appearance in the decades ahead.

Last night's special report, informally titled "Washington: Warming and
Wildfires," featured interviews with:

-- Dr. Susan Prichard / University of Washington

-- Rita Kenny / Winthrop, WA

-- Peter Goldmark / Public Lands Commissioner of Washington

-- Doug Mohre / Winthrop, WA

-- Roger Townsend / Twisp, WA

-- Dr. James Agee / University of Washington

-- Becki Heath / US Forest Service

The story was produced in a partnership between The NewsHour and Climate
Central, a non-profit, non-advocacy group of scientists and journalists.
"Washington: Warming and Wildfires" is the fourth in a series of reports about
the local and regional impacts of and solutions to climate change being
produced by Climate Central.

Climate Central's website will supplement the video with line-by-line
background on the science and sources behind the story -- providing
additional explanation and depth for the television segment, and highlighting
the scientific care that went into creating the video.

"Washington: Warming and Wildfires" is now available to view at
www.climatecentral.org.

Correspondent: Dr. Heidi Cullen, Climate Central Senior Research Scientist.

Executive Producer for Climate Central: Charlie Lyons

More About Climate Central:

Climate Central is a nonprofit science and media organization created to
provide clear and objective information about climate change. Climate Central
combines sound science and vivid media to increase public understanding and
attention to the climate challenge.

In addition to collaborating with PBS's The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Climate
Central's work can also be found on:

TIME.COM: WILD TROUT IN TROUBLE and other reports

NEWSWEEK.COM: CARBON COUNTER BILLBOARD

SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM: GLOBAL WARMING: BEYOND THE TIPPING POINT

GRIST.ORG: GEORGIA COAL

E360.YALE.EDU: SOLAR POWER FROM SPACE

NON-PROFIT STATUS:

Climate Central operates without partisanship, bias, or lobbying. It is an
independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, headquartered in Princeton, New
Jersey with an office in Palo Alto, California.

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer grew out of the half-hour MacNeil/Lehrer Report,
which, from 1975-1983, garnered critical praise and numerous awards for
in-depth coverage of a different single issue in each broadcast. The program
was transformed into The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour in 1983. It made history as
the first hour-long broadcast of national nightly news and was recognized
with Emmys, Peabodys, and other honors. In October 1995, the program began
its newest incarnation as The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Close to 3 million people tune in to The NewsHour each weeknight (1.1 HH
rating) and more than 8 million unduplicated viewers watch at least one night
a week. In addition, the Erdos & Morgan Opinion Leader survey ranks The
NewsHour first among all television news programs as the most credible, most
objective, most influential and most current news program on television.

The NewsHour is broadcast by more than 300 PBS stations, reaching 98 percent
of the nation's television households, according to A.C. Nielsen. The program
is also carried daily in Japan by NHK Broadcasting, via the Direct Broadcast
Satellite System (Channel One); in Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa,
via the U.S. Information Agency's WorldNet Satellite; and in 23 countries in
the Middle East and North Africa.

SOURCE Climate Central

Iveta Weinberg, CLIMATE CENTRAL, +1-609-924-3800