WA State DNR Summer Wildfire Fighting

I have done numerous reports on the environmental impacts of wildfires prior to this internship. On topics ranging from increased erosion rates after wildfires, higher amounts of dissolved organic carbon, increased suspended solids in bodies of water, various negative impacts on aquatic invertebrates; the loss of riparian vegetation that is accompanied by exposure to extreme heat, as well as decreased levels of dissolved oxygen amongst many other things. Before this internship my learning objectives for the summer were numerous, but the main focus was to see first hand the ways in which wildfires are mitigated; there is no foreseeable end to the ways climate change will make wildfires worse so the focus on preventative measures is essential to the preservation of our forests