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Dark Days at NoonThe Future of Fire |
eBook Available
Why we should learn to live with fire, rather than trying to solve or eradicate it.
The catastrophic runaway wildfires advancing through North America and other parts of the world are not unprecedented. Fires loomed large once human activity began to warm the climate in the 1820s, leading to an aggressive firefighting strategy that has left many of the continent’s forests too old and vulnerable to the fires that many tree species need to regenerate.
Dark Days at Noon provides a broad history of wildfire in North America, from before European contact to the present, in the hopes that we may learn from how we managed fire in the past, and apply those lessons in the future. As people continue to move into forested landscapes to work, play, live, and ignite fires - intentionally or unintentionally - fire has begun to take its toll, burning entire towns, knocking out utilities, closing roads, and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. Fire management in North America requires attention and cooperation from both sides of the border, and many of the most significant fires have taken place at the boundary line. Despite a clear lack of urgency among political leaders, Edward Struzik argues that wildfire science needs to guide the future of fire management, and that those same leaders need to shape public perception accordingly.
By explaining how society’s misguided response to fire has led to our current situation, Dark Days at Noon warns of what may happen in the future if we do not learn to live with fire as the continent’s Indigenous Peoples once did.
Dark Days at Noon provides a broad history of wildfire in North America, from before European contact to the present, in the hopes that we may learn from how we managed fire in the past, and apply those lessons in the future. As people continue to move into forested landscapes to work, play, live, and ignite fires - intentionally or unintentionally - fire has begun to take its toll, burning entire towns, knocking out utilities, closing roads, and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. Fire management in North America requires attention and cooperation from both sides of the border, and many of the most significant fires have taken place at the boundary line. Despite a clear lack of urgency among political leaders, Edward Struzik argues that wildfire science needs to guide the future of fire management, and that those same leaders need to shape public perception accordingly.
By explaining how society’s misguided response to fire has led to our current situation, Dark Days at Noon warns of what may happen in the future if we do not learn to live with fire as the continent’s Indigenous Peoples once did.
Details
304 Pages, 7.5 x 10
98 photos, full colour
ISBN 9780228012092
September 2022
Formats: Cloth, eBook
“Dark Days at Noon explores the role of wildland fire in history and also looks into the future of wildfire. A skilled storyteller, Struzik has the keen ability to reach his audience while maintaining a high standard with respect to science. The main lesson herein is that we will have to learn to live with fire as opposed to trying to exterminate fire from the landscape.” Mike Flannigan, Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire Science, University of Alberta
"The future of fire - the foreboding and forbidding outlook Struzik reflects in his subtitle - is bright because our leaders, aware of the threat yet unable to address it, are dim. The blazes of tomorrow will have the (smoky) air of the Biblical revelation of a 'great mountain burning.' Alas, the phrase 'scorched earth policy' will cease to be a metaphor." Literary Review of Canada
"A well-researched and spectacularly illustrated profile of historically significant wildfires in North America between 1780 and 2021. In his conclusion Struzik calls for cultural and political efforts devoted to actively living with wildfire rather than addressing it on an as-needed basis. The book is valuable for comparing the role of, and policies toward, wildfire in the US. Recommended. All readers." Choice
“[Dark Days at Noon] is easily one of the most beautiful books on wildfire I have encountered, with dozens of rich illustrations from fire photography to newspaper cartoons, and from archival materials to Struzik’s own travel photography - not simply creating a more engaging reader experience but also providing complementary material that empowers the reader to really understand the subjects Struzik is writing about. It is a book that proves accessible and enjoyable for the casual reader, insightful for the already informed, and highly useful for the experts in the subject-all while finally linking the visual and textual dimensions of fire in a well-deserved way.” H-Environment
"The future of fire - the foreboding and forbidding outlook Struzik reflects in his subtitle - is bright because our leaders, aware of the threat yet unable to address it, are dim. The blazes of tomorrow will have the (smoky) air of the Biblical revelation of a 'great mountain burning.' Alas, the phrase 'scorched earth policy' will cease to be a metaphor." Literary Review of Canada
"A well-researched and spectacularly illustrated profile of historically significant wildfires in North America between 1780 and 2021. In his conclusion Struzik calls for cultural and political efforts devoted to actively living with wildfire rather than addressing it on an as-needed basis. The book is valuable for comparing the role of, and policies toward, wildfire in the US. Recommended. All readers." Choice
“[Dark Days at Noon] is easily one of the most beautiful books on wildfire I have encountered, with dozens of rich illustrations from fire photography to newspaper cartoons, and from archival materials to Struzik’s own travel photography - not simply creating a more engaging reader experience but also providing complementary material that empowers the reader to really understand the subjects Struzik is writing about. It is a book that proves accessible and enjoyable for the casual reader, insightful for the already informed, and highly useful for the experts in the subject-all while finally linking the visual and textual dimensions of fire in a well-deserved way.” H-Environment
Edward Struzik is the 2022 Jarislowsky Fellow at the University of Waterloo as well as a fellow at Queen's Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy in the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University.
Acknowledgments • vii
Introduction • 1
1 Prelude to the Dark Days at Noon • 18
2 The Fire Triangle • 22
3 More Dark Days Coming • 32
4 The Big Burn • 46
5 Big Burns in Canada • 56
6 Paiute Forestry • 72
7 Fire Suppression • 80
8 The Civilian Conservation Corps • 91
9 Canada’s Conservation Corps • 100
10 The Fall of the Dominion
Forest Service • 116
11 The Royal Commission into Wildfire • 120
12 White Man’s Fire • 125
13 International Co-operation • 130
14 Blue Moon and Blue Sun • 138
15 Nuclear Winter • 143
16 Yellowstone: A Turning Point • 148
17 Big and Small Grizzlies • 157
18 Climate and the Age of Megafire • 161
19 The Holy Shit Fire • 166
20 The Pyrocene • 177
21 Nuclear Winter: Part Two • 188
22 Owls and Clear-Cuts • 196
23 Water on Fire • 203
24 The Arctic on Fire • 214
25 The Big Smoke • 224
26 Fire News • 232
Conclusion • 251
Illustrations • 265
Notes • 271
Index • 287
Introduction • 1
1 Prelude to the Dark Days at Noon • 18
2 The Fire Triangle • 22
3 More Dark Days Coming • 32
4 The Big Burn • 46
5 Big Burns in Canada • 56
6 Paiute Forestry • 72
7 Fire Suppression • 80
8 The Civilian Conservation Corps • 91
9 Canada’s Conservation Corps • 100
10 The Fall of the Dominion
Forest Service • 116
11 The Royal Commission into Wildfire • 120
12 White Man’s Fire • 125
13 International Co-operation • 130
14 Blue Moon and Blue Sun • 138
15 Nuclear Winter • 143
16 Yellowstone: A Turning Point • 148
17 Big and Small Grizzlies • 157
18 Climate and the Age of Megafire • 161
19 The Holy Shit Fire • 166
20 The Pyrocene • 177
21 Nuclear Winter: Part Two • 188
22 Owls and Clear-Cuts • 196
23 Water on Fire • 203
24 The Arctic on Fire • 214
25 The Big Smoke • 224
26 Fire News • 232
Conclusion • 251
Illustrations • 265
Notes • 271
Index • 287
Interview, The Sunday Magazine
Radio Interview, RTE
Radio Interview, The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay
Article, La Presse
Interview, The Tyee
Article, The Winnipeg Free Press
Review, Literary Review of Canada
Review, H-Environment
Article, The New Yorker
Article, CBS News
Article, The New York Times
Radio Interview, CBC The Current
Radio Interview, RTE
Radio Interview, The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay
Article, La Presse
Interview, The Tyee
Article, The Winnipeg Free Press
Review, Literary Review of Canada
Review, H-Environment
Article, The New Yorker
Article, CBS News
Article, The New York Times
Radio Interview, CBC The Current
