The Houston Fire Department recently announced the sudden death of John Johnson, a longtime firefighter and active community volunteer. Johnson died after a year-long battle with cancer Tuesday, April 13.
“He defined public servant,” Houston Fire Chief Christian Hartley said.
Hartley said that Johnson died just two days after his 68th birthday, taking everyone by surprise. He said Johnson’s sad and untimely death will be felt across the community he served for many years.
“He was able to be home when he passed but it was rapid. I mean, Saturday he was talking to people and joking with people, and Tuesday he was gone,” Hartley said.
Hartley said that firefighters had been helping around the house during Johnson’s final days and it happened to occur during a training day, so they were able to notify the department right away.
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman - Metered Site
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As the boreal forests of Alaska recover from wildfires, they may shift from containing mostly coniferous trees to a deciduous-coniferous mix – and this change could ultimately offset some of the carbon emitted during the fires.
Climate change is making wildfires more frequent and intense in certain parts of the world, such as the boreal forests of the Arctic. These forests typically act as carbon sinks, but if fires burn deep into their soil, they could begin to release more carbon into the atmosphere than they store through new wood growth, accelerating the effects of climate change.
Michelle Mack at Northern Arizona University and her team assessed the Alaskan boreal forest, which is experiencing more frequent fires, to see how the blazes are affecting forest recovery and carbon storage.
News Scientist
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