Welcome to the Pyrocene

Ecological Implications for a Planet on Fire –

Pyrocene is a term used to describe the human use of fire and how it impacts our planet. The term was first coined in 2015 by Stephen Pyne of Arizona State University. Fire can be a friend or foe. This program will describe how humans first harnessed fire and eventually switched to burning fossil fuels. We will then discuss forest fire ecology, zombie forests, prescribed fire, fire weather, and related topics to better understand the ecological implications of a planet that seems to be on fire.

This will be a virtual presentation on Zoom presented in partnership with the Camden Public Library. You can register for the event here.

David Govatski is a naturalist and author. He retired after working for the US Forest Service for over 30 years. He served as a fire management officer on a national interagency incident management team for eight years. David’s first job in the Forest Service was as a fire lookout on the Devil’s Head Lookout on the Pike National Forest in Colorado. He worked on the Redmond Hotshot firefighting crew on the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon and worked on numerous large forest fires, including the 1988 Yellowstone Fires. He also worked on multiple prescribed fires in his career. David has maintained a strong personal interest in the study of fire ecology.