Eric Lamb

“From Fear to Cautious Embrace: Prescribed Fire on the Canadian Prairies”

Grassland fire has historically treated with fear on the western Canadian Prairies.  While prescribed fire has always been used by a small number of agencies, negative attitudes and restrictive government policy limited widespread application. In the last decade there has been a remarkable shift in public perception with many former skeptics coming to recognize prescribed fire as a useful grassland management tool. This shift has been driven by partnerships between researchers, fire practitioners, and conservationists. Dr. Eric Lamb has worked through this period of change and will discuss the innovations in range management, training, and organization that have increased the acceptance and use of prescribed fire.

Dr. Eric Lamb is a Professor in the Department of Plant Science, University of Saskatchewan and Curator of the WP Fraser Herbarium. He is a plant ecologist with expertise and research interests including rangeland ecology and management, fire ecology, statistical ecology, and conservation biology. He holds a BSc. from UBC, an MSc. from Lakehead University, and a PhD. in grassland ecology from the University of Alberta. He has successfully supervised or co-supervised numerous graduate students and has published more than 80 peer reviewed papers. Dr. Lamb’s research is currently focused on grassland fire ecology, with an emphasis on how the reintroduction of fire can be a tool for improved grassland management.