Dave Peterson is Professor of Forest Biology at the University of Washington and Emeritus Senior Scientist with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station.

He has conducted research on fire science and climate change throughout the western United States and has published 300 scientific articles and 5 books on these topics.

Dr. Peterson has participated in three National Climate Assessments and was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

He currently works with the USDA Northwest Climate Hub on climate change assessments and adaptation on federal lands in the western United States. Dave lives in Skagit County, Washington, where he manages Mountain Heart Tree Farm.

Mike Harris is the Fire Chief of Franklin County Fire District #3 in Pasco. Chief Harris started his career in Benton County in 1985 and graduated from Columbia Basin College. He held every rank from Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician to Deputy Chief of Operations. He took over as the Fire Chief in Franklin County in 2013.

Chief Harris is a commissioned Chief Fire Officer (CFO), a National Qualified Incident Commander, Safety Officer and certified Wildland Fire Investigator. He has been involved in wildland fires in eastern Washington for almost four decades acting a command role or determining cause and origin on many of the large wildland fires in Eastern Washington. 

He is the currently Vice President of the Washington Fire Chiefs Association, Co-Chair of the State Emergency Response Commission for Hazardous Materials, and holds a position on the Washington State Fire Defense Committee.

Chief Harris has several reports on file in the Wildland Fire Learning Portal, investigating near misses and accidents involving Firefighters, sharing the lessons learned to prevent re-occurrences on the dynamic wildland fire scene.     

Charlie Landsman started his career in wildfire in college after witnessing the destruction of the Waldo Canyon Fire firsthand in 2012. He immediately began conducting research into policies to empower residents to reduce loss of lives and property. Shortly after, he began working for a small nonprofit in Southwest Colorado organizing, educating, and inspiring residents to mitigate wildfire risk. 



Since 2022, Landsman  has been with Washington State  Department of Natural Resources as a Community Resilience Coordinator working with local partners and communities to prepare for the next fire. In his current role, he provides expertise, funding, and services to local organizations and residents.

Moderator Don Baer is president of the Badger Club, an emeritus Laboratory Fellow from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and a volunteer Meadow Rover at Mt Rainier National Park.

He and his wife own a mountain cabin on Chinook Pass where he is the representative for the Firewise program. The Firewise program is a national initiative, sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. It provides a framework for communities to adapt to living with wildfire, encouraging neighbors to work together to reduce ignition risk and increase resilience of homes and neighborhoods against wildfires.