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How insects impact MN wildfires: Calculating risk and finding solutions

A wildland firefighter watches as a helicopter drops flame retardant from above to tamp down flames of a wildfire in a Minnesota forest.
Contributed
/
Minnesota Interagency Fire Center
A wildland firefighter watches as a helicopter drops flame retardant from above to tamp down flames of a wildfire in a Minnesota forest.

Brian Schwingle, MN DNR forest health program coordinator, discusses how invasive species impact wildfires. The "Fire in MN forests" series is produced by Mark Jacobs.

KAXE's Tuesday Morning Show strives to take an in-depth look at some natural resource-based issues important to Northern Minnesota. Producer Mark Jacobs and hosts Heidi Holtan and John Latimer discuss the problems and highlight some creative solutions.

Forest pests have been a part of Minnesota's forest landscape for centuries. But due to a warming climate and some introduced exotic pests, some of our forests are taking a beating.

This phenomenon creates a potential forest fire risk, as is evident from the recent fires in northern MN. Brian Schwingle, MN DNR Forest Health Specialist joined the morning show to discuss the problem and the risk. Listen to the conversation above!

For more, subscribe to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).