Era of megafire hits close to home
It was 1997 when I first heard Dr. Craig D. Allen, a research ecologist, make an alarming prediction. I had just taken a job managing a large, forested headwaters ranch
Defensible Space — Keeping Your Home on the Range Safe
As wildfires become more frequent and intense, protecting your home is more important than ever - whether you live in town or out on the ranch. “Our fire issue isn’t
House Money
This sagebrush ecosystem in Idaho has been fully invaded by cheatgrass. Right: Charred fenceposts and brittle wire make fences a major rebuilding expense for working lands post-fire.
Fighting fires safely and responsibly
T he sign outside the Valley Fire District in Granite County, Montana, jokingly touts “Same Day Service since 1876.” Of course, the Valley Fire District, like fire protection districts across the
Community wildfire readiness: What landowners need to know
Across the West, as suburban sprawl, working lands and wilderness collide, many communities now have Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs). The 2003 Healthy Forest Restoration Act encouraged these plans in
Failing to Deliver
Painfully drawn-out claims process adds another scar after New Mexico’s largest-ever fire Hell. That’s how Max Garcia, a farmer and rancher from Rociada, New Mexico, describes not only the wildfire that swept
Forged and Foraged: A culinary exploration of fire with Chef Joshua Drage
Fire is a catalyst of transformation, playing a vital role in shaping our ecosystems and the food that graces our plates. For Chef Joshua Drage, fire is a key ingredient
Can we accelerate post-fire recovery without compromising future resilience?
This BLM photo from 2016 shows a re-seeded area in the Soda Fire burn scar in Idaho where native bunchgrasses are sprouting and germinating well.
Insurance in the age of megafires
The 2018 Camp Fire in California destroyed the town of Paradise, killing 88 people. One property and casualty insurer was bankrupted by the fire. Insurers around the West have been
Thinking Like an Ember
A prescribed fire is tended as part of a joint project with the Lomakatsi Restoration Project, The Nature Conservancy and Bureau of Land Management that treated forests on the Sycan
Born of Fire
Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) is a member of the evening primrose family that is one of the first plants to recolonize burned areas: It was among the first plants to return following the eruption of Mt. St.
