Special Session – Wildfires, Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Implications
Organizers
Arvin Farid
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Boise State University, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, USA
Idil D. Akin
Associate Professor
North Carolina State University, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, USA
Session Description
Natural disasters and sustainability are two important topics of concern to all scientists and engineers, including geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineers. Due to the extension of hot and dry seasons and regions across the globe, wildfires, that used to be limited to certain areas in the western United States, are now common across the globe with increasing frequency and intensity. In addition to the immediate and direct impacts of wildfires, wildfires have various impacts on the soil environment leading to various geoenvironmental and geotechnical implications that are not well understood and, hence, lack mitigating strategies.