Succession, not Restoration

The project focuses on landscapes where socioecological interactions with climate fluctuations and wildfire were stable for thousand years until intensive management, warming-induced droughts, and wildfires brought forests to “the verge of switching” from relative equilibrium to an unstable state. High fuel loads on federal land (due to fire suppression) and industrial timber production (producing young trees and spatially homogenized fuels) further increases the risk of catastrophic wildfires. What happens after the 2020 wildfires near Eugene (~5,000 km2 burned, 3,000 structures destroyed, 11 fatalities, and $7-$13 billion in losses to homes and belongings is uncertain and unknown. The state of affairs isn’t above what gets “restored” (perception of an idea that can never truly be achieved), but rather what comes after, or “succeeds,” in its place. The scenarios may include reclaimed landscapes, climate gentrification, and any number of scenarios that may combine to bring about the succession of socioecological landscape along the river.

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