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Page Burners: This is Wildfire by Nick Mott

As my wife and I begin building our home in rural Montana, wildfire resilience has been central to our planning. Rather than sift through AI-generated misinformation online, I’ve been turning to This Is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat. 

Written by award-winning environmental journalist and podcast producer Nick Mott and University of Montana business professor Justin Angle, this book goes beyond a simple homeowner’s guide. It unpacks how we arrived in the age of megafires, navigates the tangled world of fire policy and science, and offers practical solutions for living in a fire-prone world. When it comes to safeguarding your home, This Is Wildfire compiles the latest best practices – including simple, low-tech steps – and even helps prioritize what matters most.

At its core, the book reconciles two competing narratives about fire. “One story is about the destruction wrought by the flames: the acres burned, what it has meant to human life and property,” Mott and Angle write. “The other story is about fire’s [often beneficial] impact on the ecosystem.” 

Thanks to insightful resources like This Is Wildfire, a more nuanced understanding of fire is spreading… like wildfire. 

Zach Altman is the communications manager at Western Landowners Alliance, where he leads video production and content strategy. He produces the award-winning documentary podcast Working Wild U, the On Land podcast and is the associate editor of On Land magazine. He lives near Livingston, Montana, with his wife and dog.

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