In Shawnee National Forest, a debate swirls around how to best protect trees amid climate change and wildfires

The Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois is a mosaic of towering trees, lush wetlands and commanding rock formations that are the native habitat for a wealth of plants and animals, including 19 species of oaks. The forest is also a microcosm of an emergent national debate about how North America should manage public lands as wildfires burn through Canada, Hawaii and Louisiana. Climate change is catalyzing extreme weather events and drying ecosystems, making forests increasingly vulnerable. “It’s impossible to take our hands all the way off. We’ve caused this climate change. We’ve intro...