Discussion Title: Fire in the Forest: The Importance of Fire to Georgia’s Forests

Speaker Bio: Nick DiLuzio is a Certified Forester and serves as the Vice President of the Georgia Forestry Foundation, where he leads the Foundation’s growth efforts as it continues to expand its body of work that will ensure the long-term success of Georgia’s 22 million acres of private working forests. Nick has a B.S. in Biology with a focus on Ecology from Davidson College and a Master’s degrees in environmental management and forestry from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. While at Duke, Nick’s thesis work focused on longleaf pine management and restoration of the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker population in coastal North Carolina. As part of his graduate work, Nick earned his red card (wildland firefighting certification) and fell in love/became obsessed with fire.

Description of presentation: Fire plays a vital role in many ecosystems in Georgia, especially in its forest lands. As Georgia is the #1 state in the country for forestry, fire is an important tool in maintaining the health and longevity of Georgia’s forests but is not without controversy. This presentation will focus on the critical role fire plays in Georgia’s forests while also highlighting how differences in forest management practices have led to the extreme wildland fires observed out west in recent years.