Local governments throughout the West are investing in wildfire defense. Here’s how to know if yours is one of them.
Wildfire
Posted inArticles
California’s Park Fire rekindles trauma from previous blazes
‘The PTSD is horrible.’
Posted inArticles
Will the Northwest Forest Plan finally respect tribal rights?
Tribal representatives are pushing the U.S. Forest Service to respect treaty rights and bring cultural fire back to the region’s forests.
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Fireworks trigger wildfires. Climate change may increase the risk.
Research found that twice as many wildfires were recorded on July 4 as almost any other day in the West.
Posted inArticles
What happens to birds when it’s smoky outside?
A community science initiative along the West Coast is using volunteer observations to study the effect of wildfire smoke on birds.
Posted inJuly 2024
When a utility sparks a wildfire, who pays?
How Western utility companies are trying to shield themselves from wildfire costs and liabilities.
Posted inArticles
$350M in federal land sales likely to benefit Nevada public lands and wildlife
See what projects are expected to get the funding.
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Cancer is killing firefighters. So this city is going PFAS-free.
San Francisco is the first major American city to ban the substance from protective gear.
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Will changes at San Gabriel Mountains National Monument serve LA’s communities of color?
As the monument reaches a decade of federal recognition, the Biden administration hopes to address funding and stewardship challenges alongside the expansion.
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Disaster disparities in the West
The risk of climate catastrophe is complex, but people of color often face ‘unnatural hazards.’
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See how bad your community’s air will be in 30 years
New data forecasts the nation’s future air quality, all the way down to individual addresses.
Posted inArticles
During climate chaos, a witness and champion of the West
A Q&A with author and educator Laura Pritchett.
Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst
Fire is driving animals’ evolution
Can species evolve fast enough to keep up with changing wildfire conditions?
Posted inJanuary 1, 2024: January 2024
Homeowner’s insurance is going up in smoke
A Q&A with California’s former insurance commissioner about coverage in the age of climate change.
Posted inArticles
Stories that made us green with envy in 2023
A roundup of the articles we wish we’d written ourselves this past year.
Posted inArticles
Wildfires are thawing the tundra
Researchers discovered recently burned areas emit more methane gas than the rest of the landscape.
Posted inNovember 1, 2023: November 1, 2023
When burn scars become roaring earthen rivers
Geologists in Washington are monitoring scorched forest to help create a better warning system for deadly debris flows.
Posted inArticles
Cultural fire is good fire, and California needs more of it
Indigenous land stewards say cultural fires are key to building a fire-resilient landscape.
Posted inArticles
What the past’s extreme wildfires can tell us about the West’s wildfire future
The fire seasons of 1910 and 2020 – and 2,500 years of forest history – offer both hopeful and concerning lessons.
Posted inOctober 2, 2023: The Dark Side of the Sheepherding Industry
The dangerous consequences of wildland fire dispatcher burnout
An internal Forest Service survey shows a critical link in the wildfire fighting apparatus is struggling.