SEER Essentials: Prescribed Fires on Federal Lands: Overview of Pressing Management, Law, and Policy Issues

Environmental Law Explored: A Podcast SEERies

This podcast episode examines key legal and policy issues around the use of prescribed fire to reduce wildfire risk and the ongoing shift away from fire suppression policies to reintroducing fire back onto the landscape.

Podcast Speakers: Steven Hattenbach is the USFS Forest Supervisor for the Cibola National Forest. Steven is also an attorney and presents for CLE’s and trainings on topics regarding wildfire liability. Anthony Martinez is the Fuels Program Manager for the Cibola National Forest and has been Incident Commander on multiple wildfire operations. Both presenters offer a unique senior level management and law/policy perspective. Additionally, both presenters have been involved with the recent pause and resumption to USFS prescribed fire operations.

Podcast moderator: Elias Kohn received a Master’s Degree focused on forestry at the Yale School of the Environment, has published law review articles on wildfire liability, and completed wildland firefighting training certifications in 2022.