Peter Hess

Exacerbated by climate disruption, wildfires globally are increasing in frequency and severity.  Applying scientific skepticism to contentious questions, how do we know wildfires are increasing?  Historically what were ecological fire regimes like?  How large a factor is anthropogenic climate disruption in wildfire growth?  Do forest thinning, clearing of firebreaks, application of herbicides, and prescribed burns work as intended to reduce fuel loads?  This paper argues that disciplined skepticism is essential for understanding both the growing wildfire risk and rational responses to that threat.

Peter M. J. Hess is both an historian and a wildland fire practitioner.  He earned his M.A. in philosophy from Oxford University (1984), his Ph.D. in historical studies from the GTU and U.C. Berkeley (1993), and his Firefighter Type Two (FFT2) certification in 2022. He has taught in a number of universities and served the National Center for Science Education in Oakland (2006-2014).  Peter is co-author of Catholicism and Science (2008) and numerous articles on issues in history, ethics, and ecological sustainability. He is co-founder of the Lake County Prescribed Burn Association (LCPBA) and manages his ninety acres of wildland on Cobb Mountain. Peter also teaches on cultural and prescribed fire at the University of San Francisco.  He and his wife Viviane have two sons, Michael and Robert, both trained as wildland firefighters.