Climate change should be seen as a number one priority.
Forests
Posted inOctober 1, 2020: Democracy's Frayed Western Front
11 Alaska Native tribes offer new way forward on managing the Tongass
The proposal comes after a failed consultation process of ‘one way communication’ over the Tongass National Forest.
Posted inNovember 1, 2020: When the Smoke Clears
The lessons of Redwood Summer, thirty years later
A summer of protest ultimately marked a turning point in environmental activism.
Posted inArticles
Burn out: Frequent fires are changing Western landscapes
Previously burned areas are less likely to re-burn, but intense fires could erase forests.
Posted inArticles
How do you fight wildfire during a pandemic?
Keeping first responders socially distant, and evacuating communities safely, would be a challenge.
Posted inArticles
Extreme wildfires are changing Western forests
New studies show how high-intensity fires alter flower pollen, soil health and tree growth.
Posted inArticles
Trump administration manipulated wildfire science to promote logging
Emails show Interior appointees crafted a narrative that blamed forest protection efforts for wildfires.
Posted inArticles
What’s the best way to save California’s redwoods?
Scientists debate whether controlled burns and logging are really the best way to preserve the state’s iconic forests.
Posted inNovember 11, 2019: Storied Landscapes
A Western author wades into murky political waters
The blind spots, omissions and caricatures of ‘Deep River’ fail to contend with the historical realities of the Northwest or the current political climate.
Posted inOctober 28, 2019: Where Hunting Still Has Meaning
Skoolies; preservation vs. profit; forest therapy
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inSeptember 16, 2019: "We can either wait on Mother Nature – or we can give it a shot ourselves."
Trump administration pushes to exempt Tongass from logging restrictions
Clearcutting of old-growth trees in the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest stopped just three years ago.
Posted inArticles
30 million acres of public land in Alaska at risk of being developed or transferred
‘The size and scope is simply staggering.’
Posted inArticles
Life after death in Swan Valley
The Meyers turned their 120 acres in Montana into a natural cemetery, where bodies can be buried with as few frills as possible.
Posted inSeptember 2, 2019: In Bad Faith
When public lands become tribal lands again
A story of fire, stolen lands, and how hard it is to get the U.S. to follow its own laws.
Posted inArticles
Roadless rule rollback would threaten Utah’s at-risk plants and animals
More than 100 species rely on habitat away from roads and development, according to a new study.
Posted inJune 10, 2019: 'None of this happened the way you think it did'
On the Road to 50: Stitching the Northwest back together
The past, present and future of the West, and HCN’s coverage of the region.
Posted inArticles
Western forests have a ‘fire debt’ problem
Planned burns can reduce wildfire risks, but expanding use of ‘good fire’ isn’t easy.
Posted inApril 29, 2019: A History of Violence
What trees can teach us
Community and relationships are an integral part of arbor life.
Posted inApril 29, 2019: A History of Violence
Critics of the Green New Deal rail against socialism. We’ve seen this before.
In the 1930s, nationalizing forests was labeled ‘socialist.’