As a biologist and now science filmmaker, I’ve had the chance to study some pretty diverse places around the world. I started my graduate studies in marine biology studying the interaction of species with their environment. In particular, I looked at how the presence of sharks change the behavior of small fish on sand flats. I was also a tour guide for the 5 years I was in Hawaii helping tourists spot rare local species (99% of what was there wasn’t native so the native species were really special). I followed countless grad-student friends as they’d study and try to save the last individuals of birds, snails, and plants on the islands. Much of that was all about habitat loss and restoration.

Later I worked as an aquatic plant biologist where we’d replant native freshwater species to counteract invasive plants. I then spent time in Panama in a pristine rainforest and documented the slow dissapearance of frogs from an introduced fungus. I also spent time there with tapir and jaguar researchers who were documenting the slow demise of those species there. It seems nothing was immune to the threats. That’s about when I started to feel the pressure to do something. I had so much knowledge of the problems happening to our native habitats, but what was I doing about it? I felt like the wealth of information out there was high, but it needed more people to pass the information to the public. The non-biologists I talked to thought we were all doing just fine. Did they really have no idea or where they just happy to live in their little bubble and not really care about the global trends.

What would help? The key, as I saw it, was entirely based in education. If everyone knew their local environment just a bit, they could help stop the spread of invasive plants. They could plant native ones. They could champion for healthy habitats and more wild-places! But, if nobody even cared about learning about these places, we’d be doomed. So, I decided I wanted to at least make learning about them engaging. That’s why I’m doing the education I am now. But, we need a tribe. We need fellow ecogeeks to share with this fight to save what’s here. That’s part of why I’m making Eco-Rebel.

Why Rebels?

The want to keep places natural shouldn’t be a rebel cause. It should be the norm, but it’s not. I feel like a minority. Thus, we need to be rebels with this cause. In particular, the cause is habitat loss. As an eco rebel, we’re here to take a stand to learn as much as we can about what’s around us. To go native as much as we can. To spend time outside. And, to teach others.

How Does a Wildfire Start?

Three elements are crucial for the creation of a wildfire: fuel, oxygen, and heat. Firefighters often refer to this combination of elements as the fire triangle. On a hot day, drought conditions peak and something as small as a spark has the potential to create a large wildfire with devastating consequences. Although fire can occur naturally from the sun or a lightning strike, most wildfires are started by human carelessness. Unextinguished campfires, lit cigarette butts, improperly burned debris, and arson are responsible for 84% of wildfires started. Man-made wildfires have tripled the fire season from 46 days to 154 days with a staggering cost of $2 billion. Once considered a natural phenomenon sparked by lighting, wildfires are now being recognized as the result of human error.

Harmful Effects of Wildfires

Wildfires can have  immediate and long term effects on the quality of rivers, lakes, and streams. The most noticeable impact of wildfires is stormwater runoff. After the loss of vegetation, the ground’s soil becomes hydrophobic and prevents the absorption of water. This inability to absorb water promotes the transportation of debris and sediment into larger  bodies of water, further polluting valuable and essential resources. Post-fire flash floods become a threat and allow the introduction of heavy metals from ash and soil to infiltrate waterways. Filtering these water sources can be costly as well as time consuming.

Depending on the temperature and time of year a wildfire occurs, vegetation can be significantly impacted. Plants on the forest floor or smaller trees are often destroyed by wildfires, while larger trees are able to survive as long as the fire does not spread into the tree canopy. The flames from these fires destroy the food source and homes of many animals, threatening their survival. For plants and trees that can survive the flames, they are susceptible to disease, fungus, and insects due to their decreased resistance following burn injuries.

Wildfires have both immediate and long-term impacts on air quality. As a forest burns, large amounts of smoke are released into the atmosphere. These smoke particles are typically small and made up of gases and water vapor. Air pollution from fires have the potential to travel great distances and oftentimes may pose a threat to human health. These small particles can become lodged deep within our lungs, making it difficult to breath as well as placing additional stress on our hearts. Additionally, wildfires produce an increased amount of carbon monoxide, which too can lead to  a variety of health implications

Buildings and homes that lie within the path of a wildfire are destroyed, exposing hazardous materials that pose a threat on human health for first responders and during the clean up process. Older homes built before the 1970’s often contain a mineral called asbestos. Once asbestos is disturbed, the fibers become airborne and when inhaled can lead to the development of pleural mesothelioma in the lining of the lungs. During the cleanup process, many materials are often improperly disposed of and create a threat for destruction in the future. It’s important that these clean up processes are handled safely and completed with the proper equipment and done by a professional

The Ecological Benefits of Wildfires

Although wildfires leave an immense  amount of destruction in their path, they do leave behind some beneficial qualities too. Many plants require regular burns in order to spread seeds and survive. Fires can also kill diseases and insects that may be affecting the livelihood of plants, remove excessive debris from the forest floor, and allow more access to the nutrients provided by exposed sunlight. Low intensity fires clear underbrush and prevent the damage of future fires from spreading.

After a wildfire, new grasslands are created and allow grazing animals to benefit from the change. This increase in the natural order of species allows a change in ecology that promotes growth and the continual cycle of life. Vegetation like the fireweed, requires the disturbance of fire to bloom and permit the regrowth of plants that have perished due to the fire. As plants and vegetation die away, new life begins to heal and spring forth.

What Can You Do

We’ve all heard the expression, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Through taking preventative measures, we can assist in successfully eliminating, or decreasing the risk and number of wildfire outbreaks.

The first step in preventing a wildfire is never leaving a fire unattended. Completely extinguish a fire before sleeping or leaving the surrounding area. Be mindful of where you discard cigarettes, flammable liquids, and smoking materials and make sure they are never tossed on the ground. If you are hosting a fire, keep a shovel, water, and fire retardent nearby to prevent any possible chance of an untamed fire or outbreak.

If you do see an unattended or out-of-control fire, contact your local fire department and authorities as soon as possible. At the risk of a wildfire in your area, know your evacuation route ahead of time and keep a kit of emergency supplies ready. Before leaving your house, close all windows, vents,  and doors to prevent a draft, remove all combustibles from your yard, and turn off any fuel oil supplies. Be sure to wear heat protective clothes to protect from sparks and ashes as well as a mask to shield your lungs from breathing in harmful fumes. For more information and preventative advice, visit the International Association of Wildland Fire here.

Unlike many natural disasters, most wildfires can be prevented. The environmental and economical costs of wildfires have an impact that lasts for many years. Through using caution, taking preventative measures, and monitoring fires responsibly, we can lower the threats associated with these devastating tragedies.

Learn More About Wildfires

First, let me start by repeating it here – composting is way easier than you think!

If you’ve ever tried to learn how to compost you may have found it overwhelming! I know I did – until I fully wrapped my head around what was going on. Here’s why. Everyone seems to have a different theory as to what you need to make good compost. Heck – even for our article on the science of compost, we tried to make a big table showing all the things you need for a good compost pile – from moisture, to temperature, to the proper Carbon to Nitrogen ratio. I worry that giving all this information might be counter productive, so here is where I think it’s important to stop and think about the basics.

Why are you composting?

Most of the time the answer is either that you want to be responsible and make sure our food waste doesn’t fill a landfill. Alternatively you may want to make sure you’re able to turn all your organic material back into rich soil for your garden.

Ok, so let’s start with those two answers. Both just mean you want to turn your organic material back into soil. The good news is that all organic material will turn back into soil through decomposition if you leave it outside. Pile up a bunch of leaves or a pile of bananas and it’ll eventually decompose. The point is, it’s super simple and you can start there. Just put it in a pile and you’re golden. You’ve hit stage one.

Now, I feel like getting some extra knowledge will help you troubleshoot – because likely you’re going to want to speed up the process.

Speeding up your composting

To speed up your compost you’ll want to make sure you have a pile that has a good ration of carbon heavy stuff (browns) like leaves, cardboard, paper, and sticks with nitrogen heavy stuff (greens) like food scraps. Why the mix?

If you just have browns – like a stack of cardboard, it may just stay like a big stack of cardboard. The organisms that are going to break everything down – from fungi to bacteria, they need some nitrogen to speed up the process.

If you just have greens – like food scraps, it might end up a big stinky mess. It may start to attract a lot of rodents, flies or other unwanted guests. Plus, it may start breaking down so quickly that all the oxygen is used up and goes into anaerobic fermentation. The byproduct of all that is stinky.

That’s why you want to aim for a mix and why people have all sorts of “recipes.” In theory you want more carbon (browns) than nitrogen rich items (greens). But, if I started to explain that the ideal ration is 30:1 or started into the ratio present in every item you would add to your compost I may defeat the purpose of this article. In fact, we already explained that here if you want to look into the science. The last ingredient is turning your pile.

Why Turn Your Compost Pile?

Again – remember that your pile will break down eventually. Turning the pile does a couple things.

1. Turning the pile makes sure the middle of the pile has oxygen. The organisms that are breaking things down there need that.
2. Mixing it up also takes the material on the edges and starts mixing it into the middle, where the break-down happens.

If you don’t turn the pile, it’ll go slower. You also run the risk of the process turning anaerobic – which is a slower breakdown process.

Here is a video we did with the zoo about how they do composting. I hope you can see how all of what I just wrote about relates to the processes that they use there as well.

More about Compost

The Science of Compost: Basic to Advanced

Rainforests represent Planet Earth at its natural finest, with unspoiled plant and animal life cohabiting in idyllic harmony. At least that’s the case in those rainforest regions which haven’t succumbed to deforestation from egregious corporations throwing money at logging contractors to provide them with timber for their corporate goals.

More than half of the planet’s animal and plant life resides within rainforests and thankfully many of these species continue to survive the doom of deforestation. The world’s largest rainforest is the one that envelops the Amazon River in South America. Transcending almost the entire width of the continent, it is a truly spellbinding part of the world where jaguars and cougars are among the creatures visible first-hand amid exotic trees such as Euterpe precatoria.

Almost every continent (with the notable exception of Europe) contains stunning rainforest regions that are worth exploring. Where else would you receive such unimpeded exposure to lifeforms that make a welcome change from the monotony of city centre skyscraper buildings?

Check out the infographic below from Jarrimber for a snapshot of the world’s most beautiful rainforests.

There was nothing unusual about the shipment that arrived in Michigan back in 2002. Like most products moving across America and around the globe, it arrived on wooden pallets. The materials were checked in, distributed, and the pallets cast aside, some of the two billion estimated in use around the country. Only there was something different about this shipment. Especially the packaging. Because at some point in shipping that material, tiny D-shaped holes began to appear in the supporting pallets.

From those holes emerged emerald green beetles, shimmering in the warmth of the Detroit summer sunlight. Once the new adults got their bearings, they flew off to do what insects do: mate, lay eggs, and die. The best place for this to happen was in ash trees. And that was the beginning of an invasion that would span 33 US states and several territories in Canada, killing hundreds of millions of ash trees.

“It’s coming… well, let’s do something about it.” Dr. Jiri Hulcr is an associate professor of forest entomology at the University of Florida and is helping to come up with a game plan to combat the spread of this insect. “The emerald ash borer (EAB) is the poster child for the homogenization of the world.” Hundreds of thousands of shipments shuttle around the globe every day, and the numbers are growing. And with each shipment comes the risk that North America will receive just a bit more than it bargained for.

Where did emerald ash borers come from?

“EABs are native to Asia,” he said. The ash species in China have genetic defenses against the beetles and can withstand their life cycle. “When you bring these to North America, these ash trees have no idea what to do with them. The beetles lay their eggs; the larvae bore holes into the tree, and the tree dies. The tree is losing its capacity to transport nutrients from the leaves to the roots. This is how an epidemic has started.

“No one noticed it much at first. Today, it has spread south to southern Georgia and northwards to Canada. Ash trees are dying in the wake of this epidemic.” The Annual Review of Entomology says that, in some Michigan forests, 99% of ash trees have died because of the tiny insect.

The dramatic color of the EAB is only the final of its four stages of life. It begins as an egg, nestled between layers of the bark of an ash. About a week afterwards, it emerges in its larval stage, and the feeding begins. As the EAB feeds, it leaves behind a telltale series of “S” marks, known as galleries. In the fall, the larvae will carve out a space in the ash to spend the winter. From winter to spring, they will go through a pupal stage and emerge in early summer.

By the time the adults emerge, leaving a “D” shaped hole, damage to the ash is already done. Within two to four years, the infested tree will die. The adults will mate, lay eggs, and die in the fall.

How can you help?

Although the invasion is well underway, Hulcr says there is still hope. “What do we do? We can learn from what’s happened and be ready when it hits places like Florida. There’s lots we can do.”

Here’s what he recommends:

1. Learn ash identification. There are myriad sites with pictures of ash trees. One is from the Emerald Ash Borer Information Network, which contains extensive information on the issue.
2. What if my tree dies? “It’s a part of monitoring. We must be more vigilant. Do you see a tree that starts dying? This little thing with the reddish leaves suddenly pooping out? We should pay attention to these things because that’s when we can put in our next wave of weapons.” Even well-tended trees can be killed by EABs, so it’s important to keep a close watch on those on your own property as well as your neighbor’s.
3. If a tree shows signs of infestation, treat the trees around it. “This way, when the females around the tree want to find another and lay eggs, the babies won’t make it.” One key factor is whether the tree is already showing signs of infestation. If the larvae are active within a tree, they may have already destroyed the vascular system. Since insecticide application must be pulled through the roots of the tree up through the trunk and branches (“systemic application”), a damaged vascular system means that the insecticide won’t work. See this video on treatment methods.
4. Diversify greenery plantings in cities. In cities where ash trees are the species of choice, money will have to be spent in clearing infected trees. “When thousands start dying, it becomes economically noticeable. Somebody has to clean it up. Turns out, it costs billions of dollars. We have plenty of other things to spend money on, but we have to spend it on cleaning up dead trees.” Diversifying species choices can reduce that impact.
5. Find insect-resistant trees. “Every species is composed of many different individuals, just like people. Some are better at fighting infestation than others. Even if 99% percent of trees die, there are always one here and another there that survive. Those few individuals are going to be the restart of this species for the next century. Find those individuals that have that magical concoction of genes that allow that individual to survive and propagate them.”
6. Don’t move firewood. “It looks so convenient: here’s a dead tree, let’s chop it up and bring it to the campsite to make a barbecue. Don’t do that. That’s a pretty sure way to spread tree diseases and pests around. It’s a major way to make a difference.”

Without doubt, the invasion of the emerald ash borer is a major concern in North America. Yet Dr. Hulcr remains optimistic: “It’s not all doom and gloom. We can absolutely make a difference. Tell your neighbor, tell your family. It’s coming; well, let’s do something about it.”

Learn more about the emerald ash borer and what to do about it here:

• The Detailed Guide to How to Do Something with the Emerald Ash Borer
• Emerald Ash Borer Invasion of North America: History, Biology, Ecology, Impacts, and Management
• Emerald Ash Borer Information Network