Please join the City of Novato, Novato Fire District, Firewise Communities and Sustainable Novato for a screening of ‘WILDER THAN WILD: Fire, Forests and the Future’ on January 24th at Novato City Hall.

‘WILDER THAN WILD: Fire, Forests and the Future’ is a one-hour documentary that reveals how fuel build-up and climate change have exposed Western wildlands to large, high intensity wildfires, while greenhouse gases released from these fires contribute to global warming. This vicious cycle jeopardizes our forests and affects us all with extreme weather and more wildfires, some of which are now entering highly populated wildland-urban areas.

There is much at stake. Landscapes that store water and carbon, produce oxygen, and feed and shelter a diversity of wildlife are at risk. "We are losing forests at a rate which is causing them to be a contributor to the problem of global warming,” says Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board. According to fire historian Stephen Pyne, “Forests should be renewable, but with climate change and all the other problems going with it, we could see a large-scale conversion of forest – the equivalent of clearing it.”

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Novato Fire Chief Bill Tyler, retired forester and current Novato Fire District Board Director Bruce Goines, and Pacheco Valle Firewise Coordinator Kay White.

The event is free to attend but seating is limited – reservations are highly recommended.

Doors open at 5:30pm and staff from Novato Fire will be available to answer questions about fire safety and to provide information about starting a Firewise Committee in your community! The screening will start at 6:30pm.