• What is “Fix the Forest”?

    “Fix the Forest” is a project of the Environmental Defense Fund’s Forest group, aimed at informing the public about the forest management practices that can make America’s dry western forests more resilient in the face of ever-more catastrophic wildfire due to climate warming.

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    Foresters, firefighters, Indigenous Peoples, and scientists agree:
When forests are thriving, wildfire is more manageable. That means lives, lands, trees, and wildlife can survive when wildfire strikes. We have the tools to better manage our forests, and fires, but there’s no time to waste.

    Meet the Team
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    Eric Holst

    Associate Vice President, Forests

     

     

    Eric Holst is associate vice president for forestry at Environmental Defense Fund and leads EDF’s global wildfire resilience initiative. He is an expert in developing innovative conservation and climate resilience strategies on working forests, farms and ranches. While at EDF, Eric has worked to establish productive partnerships with farmers and ranchers, putting EDF at the forefront of collaborative conservation efforts. He has been a pioneer in developing market-based solutions for biodiversity conservation, climate mitigation, and climate resilience.

     

    Prior to EDF, Eric held positions as executive director of the Resources Legacy Fund and program officer for the Environment at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.  He serves on the California State Board of Mining and Geology, the President’s Advisory Council for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of California, and the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science at UC Davis. Eric is a registered professional forester in California. He holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and a BS in Botany from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science at UC Davis.

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    Chloe Schneider

    Research Analyst, Forests

     

     

    Chloe joined EDF June 2021, thrilled to be an advocate for the revitalization of healthy and resilient ecosystems and communities alike. Her focus is on promoting policy and practice that help modern society rethink what it means to live in fire adapted ecosystems, uplifting Indigenous wisdom and sovereignty, science, and rural livelihoods.

     

    Prior to her current role, Chloe worked on small research teams connecting remotely sensed data from NASA satellites to various community environmental concerns with the NASA DEVELEOP program. She has an environmental science and geography degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. While Chloe’s work is often indoors, her passion for plant and mushroom foraging or volunteering with her local prescribed burn association often gets her into the ecosystems that she is working to revive.

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    Ann Bartuska

    Senior Contributing Scientist

     


    Dr. Ann M. Bartuska is a Senior Contributing Scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund focusing on natural climate solutions through forestry and agriculture. She also is a Senior Advisor at Resources for the Future, an environmental economics think tank in Washington, DC.  Dr. Bartuska served as Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics (REE) within the U. S. Department of Agriculture from 2010 to September 2017. She also held the position of Acting Under Secretary for REE and Acting Chief Scientist for USDA from December 2016 till her departure from USDA. Prior to that, she was Deputy Chief for Research and Development (R&D), U.S. Forest Service (FS), which she held from 2004 to 2010 and held numerous positions with the Forest Service, including Director of the Forest and Rangeland Management staff.  Dr. Bartuska also serves on: Board of Directors, Pacific Forest Trust; inaugural Board of Directors, Earth Fire Alliance; and, External Review Panel, Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).