Beth Finley September
21, 2015
AP Biology Current Event #2
As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West
The western
region of America has suffered through one of the worst fire seasons this past
year, and more than eight hundred million acres have been burned nationwide. The
article, As Fires Grow, a New Landscape
Appears in the West, by John Schwartz, explains the deathly consequences of
the increasing number of forest fires, especially the issues with the
increasing tree deaths, and how fire experts are desperately trying to take
action to solve these problems. The author states that climate change has been
a major reason for the increasing number of wildfires; along with climate
change comes the hotter and longer droughts that the West has continued to
experience over the past years. These droughts make the trees and ground drier,
so then fires accumulate more quickly by being able to “ladder up” the tree
branches and leaves. Schwartz also believes that the “stress” on trees will
continue to worsen, as they will essentially have to compete for water. Trees
also assist tremendously with climate change because they absorb carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere during photosynthesis; however, these droughts cause
forests to slow their growth and absorb less carbon for four years after each
drought. Firefighters are trying to find a solution to this issue as climate is
changing; they think that thinning forests would only allow the trees to be
scorched rather than completely burned and killed.
This
article directly addresses how humans often overlook the obvious risks of
natural disasters, and we prefer to keep things the way they are even as
climate is changing. It is obvious that we can make a difference, but we choose
not to. Climate change can be partially controlled or even reduced if we save
the forests since they absorb so much carbon dioxide. Dr. Paul Hessberg, a research
ecologist with the United States Forest Service at the Pacific Northwest
Research Station, adds that we have the ability to decide what kind of society
we want to live in; whether it be with large doses of fire or small doses is up
to us and how we choose to solve the problem. Dr Hessberg believes that the
thinning of forests is just the beginning to solving this nationwide concern.
This
article was well written and very detailed. The author includes many direct
quotations from scientists and scholars, which supports many points made by
Schwartz. Although the article is detailed I believe it was almost too lengthy.
Schwartz did make several important points, but I think this article could have
been more concise since he restated many ideas throughout the article that
seemed repetitive. My only other suggestion would be to include more specific
information on the forest fires in specific states in the West other than New
Mexico. This would allow the reader to make connections between the different
conditions of the fires in each state. Overall, this article was very
informative and helped me to understand the seriousness of the effects of
wildfires.
Schwartz,
John. "As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West." The
New York Times. The New York Times, 21
Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://nyti.ms/1V5dXGB>.
Wow! Great review, Beth! So well done. The flow of the review was totally natural; I felt as if you were here with me explaining this plight in easy-to-follow terms, rather than spitting nonsensical scientific jargon in my direction with no structure. Not only that, but you never failed to further explain any claim you made, such as why climate change is such a driving factor encouraging these forest fires. Because of this, not once did I ever question the validity of anything you stated. And most of all, I thought your second paragraph was extremely thought-provoking. By including a statement by a research ecologist which says that we have the ability to decide what society we live in, I was really forced to think about how my humans are in control of their own environment, and was able to connect it to other issues in addition to forest fires.
ReplyDeleteBeth, it's so hard to think of any area which could benefit from improvement! But if anything, a few ideas could have been further developed. For example, how would thinning forests only allow the trees to be scorched and not totally burned? And along with this, what would the negative environmental factors be if we indeed did thin forests, and would the pros truly end up prevailing over the cons? And secondly, the connection to how these forest fires directly affects humans could have been a little stronger. And if there really isn't much more of a connection, why should we care about this issue so much?
But on the whole, this review was astounding. Your writing and analysis blew me away. It really thought me a lot about forest fires, a topic that I knew little to nothing about before. After reading this, I'll be sure to take into consideration environmental issues from all areas, even ones that I don't feel directly. And, as I mentioned before, the review made me remember that we are in control of the earth, and are more than capable of being catalysts of positive change. This makes me want to take action! I chose this article because of my lack of knowledge of the topic, and am extremely glad that this is the one I read. Thanks, Beth, for giving me such a great read!
Schwartz, John. "As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/science/as-fires-grow-a-new-landscape-appears-in-the-west.html?action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
I was very intrigued by the topic of your article because I too believe that wildfires and other natural disasters are a major problem to our present society. Your summary was very thorough and did a very good job in answering any questions I may have had. I also found it very helpful how you validated the information in the article by giving the titles of the scientists or researcher who made the various claims. Lastly, your second paragraph was very thought provoking, making me question how, as you said, ‘we can make a difference.”
ReplyDeleteA few small areas which could have been improved were a little more explanation of a few ideas and an elaboration in the second paragraph into what we can do to help “make a difference.” One idea which could have been explained a little more was the idea that thinning the forests would only lead to scorched trees and how that was better than before. Then, since I was so intrigued by what I could do to make a difference, I would have really liked to know the thing I could do to make this said difference.
One thing that shocked me was how much forest is actually lost to the wildfires: more than eight hundred thousand acres in one year. I knew that this was a problem but I did not know how vast the problem truly was. This article made me realize that we need to do
everything we can to stop the deforestation before the wildfires consume our forests.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreat review Beth! You gave a good summary-- it was cohesive and easy to understand, while also giving all the important information and covering all the points of the article. Additionally, your explanations were well written. I really understand how the drought effects the trees now, rather than it being about just a lack of water. Another great point of your review was the second paragraph: it made me think about the decisions that people make in terms of our environment. The quote from an important ecologist was a strong addition that clarified your thoughts on the importance of the issue.
ReplyDeleteWhile you had so many strengths in this review, there’s always something to work on! In your case, I think you could try to evaluate the source in your paragraph critiquing the article. You described how the author cited many sources, but I think it would have been a valuable step to look at where this article came from. Another thing to work on is your connections to the outside world. As you stated, the thinning of trees is a possible solution that firefighters are looking into; how would this change the destructive nature of the fire? Other than that, your review was extremely strong and very well written; an informative and enjoyable read.
The most interesting thing to me in this article was the large path of destruction that the fire takes. While I knew forest fires were an issue, I had no idea about how widespread the problem is. This article really brought this problem to my attention, mostly because it is our fault that it is such a problem. Climate change is something we can and need to fix before it’s too late.
Schwartz, John. "As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. .
ReplyDeleteBeth,
I loved your response to this article; I learned a lot! One thing I really liked about your response is the way you went through the process in which wildfires start, step by step, when you stated, “along with climate change comes the hotter and longer droughts that the West has continued to experience over the past years. These droughts make the trees and ground drier, so then fires accumulate more quickly by being able to ‘ladder up’ the tree branches and leaves.” Here, you made the process in which they start easy to picture. Another thing I liked about your response was how you made a call to action. When you said, “Climate change can be partially controlled or even reduced if we save the forests since they absorb so much carbon dioxide,” you directly related climate change, the primary cause of wildfires, to a very well-known problem: deforestation. By making an effort, we can, in turn, help reduce climate change and wildfires. One last part of your response that I loved was how you included one of the scientists, Dr. Paul Hessberg, in your breakdown of the article. By doing so, you showed that the article was reliable, for it cited “direct quotations from scientists and scholars.” One thing I didn’t like about your response, however, was the way you stated your call to action. When you said, “Climate change can be partially controlled or even reduced if we save the forests since they absorb so much carbon dioxide,” you didn’t elaborate on how carbon dioxide affected climate change. Another thing I didn’t really like about your response was it lacked connection to my everyday life. While these drastic wildfires might be harmful in a different part of the world, from your response, I didn’t feel too urgent to stop them, for you didn’t explain how it would affect my life. One thing I learned from this article was that there was that the United States Forest Service, an organization that deals with just these types of matters, existed. I found this very interesting, for it showed where all of the information we read in articles like these ones comes from. Overall, I loved your response and can’t wait to read more about wildfires. Good job, Beth!
Citation for article:
Schwartz, John. "As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. .
Hyperlink:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/science/as-fires-grow-a-new-landscape-appears-in-the-west.html?action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
After reading Beth’s review of As Fires Grow, a New Landscape Appears in the West, by John Schwartz, I found myself more informed of the importance of wildfire prevention and the serious issues that the West is experiencing. One thing that I thought Beth did a very good job on in this report was giving adequate background information about wildfires. I would not have seen the major significance of the issues, being uninformed prior to this, that wildfires cause. Another aspect of this review that I thought was well done was the presentation of information. Beth presented the facts in a logical order, making her review easy to read and follow. She further explained information when it was needed and filled in any gaps that were left by the author. A third part of the review that I enjoyed was that towards the end, Beth presented the solutions that scientists are starting to experiment with.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there were many great parts of this current event report, there were a few aspects that I thought Beth could improve upon. One thing that I think could have helped to make your review stronger, Beth, would have been to use direct quote or opinions from the author, John Schwartz. Also, possibly examining the background of Schwartz or the other sources he used could make your review stronger in the fact that it would provide more credibility. But well done!
With this being a new topic to me, there were many important and interesting pieces of information in the review! The most astonishing, I think, was reading the statistics on wildfires-eight hundred million acres of land being destroyed is unimaginable. I had known of the destruction that wildfires could cause, but reading that number and trying to wrap my head around that statistic was incredibly difficult.
Beth’s review was interesting to read. I think she did a good job explaining the article in a way the reader could understand. She explained how climate change is causing droughts and forest fires. She then gave info from scientists on the topic. She also provides information on how trees assist us by soaking up carbon dioxide. I also enjoyed how Beth described how this topic affects society. She explains how most people overlook risks of natural disaster. I agree with this. Lastly, I thought it was helpful how she described what firefighters are trying to do. After hearing about a natural disaster it always makes people enjoy hearing a possible solution.
ReplyDeleteBeth’s review was well written, but there were some improvements she could have made. She does a good job describing how the droughts affect the trees, but she could have explained more on how it affects the people, such as the higher amount of carbon dioxide. I also think Beth could have explained in a little more detail the risks that lie ahead. She did mention it, but I think she could have elaborated a little more.
This was one of the more interesting reviews I have read. I have always read about forest fires, but I never realized how terrible they were. I did not know that losing those trees could make such a big impact on the atmosphere. I also did not realize that the climate change was causing these fires.