Meet the scientists and conservationists fighting to save the Northwest’s forests from an invasive plant.
U.S. Forest Service
The dangerous consequences of wildland fire dispatcher burnout
An internal Forest Service survey shows a critical link in the wildfire fighting apparatus is struggling.
Wildlife and the inescapable impact of road noise
The ‘blab of the pave’ disrupts animals’ lives everywhere, even in national parks.
Federal court derails proposed Utah oil railroad
Failures to assess risks to Colorado River and ‘numerous NEPA violations’ in project’s impact analysis highlighted.
People are starting a lot of fires in the Pacific Northwest
The Forest Service reports 197 human-caused or undetermined starts since the beginning of June.
When the woods get noisy, the animals get nervous
New study uses trail cameras and speakers to isolate what human sounds do to animals.
Fire retardant kills fish. Is it worth the risk?
A lawsuit could change how the Forest Service fights fires.
After the feds accidentally burned down their homes, they made it hard to return
FEMA told survivors of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history that it aimed to put temporary housing on their land. But because of its strict, slow-moving bureaucracy, that has happened only twice.
In the once-cool forests of the Pacific Northwest, heat poses a new threat
Drought can stress trees to death, but heat’s effects are less known. New research could hold the keys to protecting conifer forests.
How far will you go to reduce your wildfire risk?
It may depend on how you see the world.
Does thinning work for wildfire prevention?
The rundown on what scientists find actually works to protect forests and homes.
‘Roadless rule’ protections for the Tongass National Forest are back
The Biden administration has reinstated pre-Trump protections in the Tongass. See what’s at stake.
How to save the whitebark pine
The tree is getting federal protection. But plenty of people were already trying to save it.
What if Indigenous women ran controlled burns?
The Karuk Tribe’s first-of-its-kind training seeks to extinguish hypermasculinity in firefighting culture.
The pinyon jay’s predicament
The keystone species’ habitat in New Mexico is threatened by wildfire prevention and the climate crisis.
Idaho cobalt mine is a harbinger of what’s to come
A new venture near Salmon signals an uptick in hardrock mining across the West.
USFS burn boss arrested after prescribed fire burns private land
Practitioners fear a chilling effect on future operations.
A smoldering threat to wildland firefighters
Long COVID affects more than 16 million Americans, and firefighters are at increased risk of getting it.
How to prevent a hike from resulting in a heist
A new proposal aims to make trailheads near Seattle safe from car break-ins — but some worry it could compromise their own safety.
