Evacuation Highway
Nestled outside the bustling metropolis of Seattle, Washington, Kittitas County straddles the I-90 corridor, attracting outdoor enthusiasts and second-home owners seeking solace amidst nature’s beauty. These rural communities, once home to active forest products and coal industries, are quickly evolving into a recreational hub. As the allure of the region grows, so too does the urgency of…
seattle, kittitas trail, washington dnr, evacuation, wildfire
Breaking barriers through smoke and stereotypes
As the incident commander of the Southern Area Gold Complex Incident Management Team, Debbie Beard travels around the country and across international borders, as pictured here on the 2023 Radisson Complex in Canada. (Photo courtesy of Debbie Beard)
When her daughters were younger, Debbie Beard would…
women firefighters, wildfire, careers
Partnering with HBCUs to train the next generation of wildland firefighters
Alabama A&M University students respond to the first wildfire of 2022. The student-led FireDawgs firefighting team helped the Alabama Forestry Commission patrol the fire’s edge to make sure no hot spots remained. (Courtesy photo by Jeremy Whigham, Alabama A&M University)
The Forest Service is teaming up with three historically Black colleges and universities, also known as HBCUs, to…
HBCU, historically black colleges and universities, wildland fire, wildfire, wildfire training
Protecting wildland communities
A picture of a treated stand after the completion of the Montreal project around neighborhoods in South Lake Tahoe. (Photo courtesy of Amy Jirka, The Great Basin Institute)
For those who love the outdoors, the occasional weekend trip will not do. Instead, many have chosen to live as close to nature as possible, on the edge of forests. One in three homes in the U.S. is now located in a…
lake tahoe, wildland urban interface, wildfire, wildfire prevention, safety, fuel reduction, prescribed fire, controlled burn, mechanical thinning, fire adapted communities, rural communities
Science shows that demographics and funding impact wildfire resilience
America’s forests are in a state of fire emergency. Nearly 25% of the contiguous U.S. is at risk of severe wildfire, with Western landscapes bearing the brunt.
The areas at greatest risk are those where forests and communities meet, often referred to as the wildland urban interface. These beautiful locales are where more and more people choose to call home…
wildfire, fire, resilience, science, fire science, Grants
Wildfire risk to communities
Wildfires know no boundaries.
They can easily cross between federal, tribal, state, and private lands, making it crucial for all communities to know their respective wildfire risks and the actions to take to protect themselves and their neighbors. Last year, wildfires burned nearly 400,000 acres of tribal lands, including reservations and other tribal lands, with additional acreage burned on…