I envision a future in BC where our summers are not spent under smoke from our burning forests. Where air quality advisories are rare and not expected every August/September. Everybody should be able to enjoy our beautiful outdoors without risking exposure to harmful air pollutants which can cause serious long-term problems with frequent exposure. To address these concerns, public awareness of the benefits of controlled burns needs to be increased. Misconceptions about the dangers should be discussed especially in more remote communities who might feel more at risk. I think educational commercials could be any easy way for the government to spread awareness about the benefits of controlled burns to reduce fear and opposition from the public.
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Hey Amy, I agree with you, and I believe that there are targeted ads dealing with wildfires, at least here in BC. I remember watching some adds about camping and fire etiquette during the summer months here in BC. Perhaps there should be more education for those in rural communities more likely to be impacted by these things.
Hi Amy,
Lately our BC summers have been crazy with the smoke from burning forests as the air becomes so polluted. I like your suggestion of making educational commercials to raise awareness!
Hi, Amy, I agree with the idea that burning should be controlled and all of the citizens are supposed to contribute to it. Therefore, education is always crucial for engaging people and let them be aware of the benefits of controlled burns and encourage them to apply the right approach while burning, to keep people safe and keep air clean.
Hi Amy!
Thank you for your clear and concise post! I like your suggestion of airing educational commercials. What do you think these commercials should focus on (e.g. the benefits of controlled burns for remote communities)? What visuals should be included? Maybe highlighting the difference between a community protected by controlled burning vs. a community where no controlled burning took place, through visualizations similar to Banff in The Nature of Things, would be helpful.
I like the idea of educational commercials, I think having a short effective message on social media can also be a useful tool to reach more people.
Commercials "advertising" prescribed burns are an awesome idea. The US Forest Service has done a lot of media training for their scientists to try and get the word out, especially in their attempts to work with Indigenous communities, which is hopefully swaying public opinion towards fire in California. https://www.fs.usda.gov/features/tribal-and-indigenous-heritage
Great post! I really like your idea of using educational commercials to spread awareness, as that it a relatively easy way to put out the word about the benefits of controlled burns.
I agree, even just correcting misconceptions and raising awareness of these issues would help in some way.