To reimagine our relationship with wildfire, we must recognize the real value of federal wildland firefighters — and compensate them accordingly.
Wildfire
Posted inArticles
With so many displaced by fires, Los Angeles County can’t accurately measure homelessness
The county was supposed to conduct an annual tally of people experiencing homelessness this month. Then disaster struck.
Posted inArticles
Wildfires are too much for municipal water systems. In Los Angeles, firefighters tried anyway.
Water systems aren’t designed for unlimited demands during wildland-urban interface fires.
Posted inArticles
What it’s like to be an incarcerated firefighter
Eddie Herrera, a formerly incarcerated firefighter, talks about the job and how he sees what’s happening in Los Angeles.
Posted inArticles
What do the deadly Los Angeles fires mean for the city’s wildlife?
Wildlife biologist Miguel Ordeñana explains how blazes push animals into the unknown.
Posted inArticles
How to understand the West’s ‘forever wildfire season’
Amid California’s deadly fires, here are 10 High Country News stories to help you bring context to wildland blazes.
Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted
Fire crews do more than fight fires
Some protect habitats and cultural resources from smoke and flames.
Posted inArticles
What we learned about wildfire smoke this last year
The list of wildfire smoke’s long-term health risks continues to grow.
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Wildfire … in winter?
Expect more fires like the fast-moving one in Malibu, scientists say.
Posted inDecember 2024: Land as Reparations
The aftermath of the Hermit’s Peak and Calf Canyon Fires
Devastation is hard to face, but
turning away is harder.
Posted inDecember 2024: Land as Reparations
2024 was a year of wacky Western weather
When assessing the region, not much was normal but climate change.
Posted inArticles
Audio: How nature can thrive despite human impact
What disturbance-loving plants teach.
Posted inNovember 2024: The Once and Future Prairie
How the climate is changing your energy bill
Wildfires and winter storms are costing utilities and families.
Posted inIssues
Forest therapy for wildfire survivors
Spending time in the woods can help wildfire survivors recover.
Posted inArticles
Befriending wildfire
A new book from Obi Kaufmann illustrates the reciprocal connection between California ecosystems and fire.
Posted inArticles
The Forest Service is cutting its seasonal workforce and public lands will suffer
Temporary employees warn that important work will go undone all over the country.
Posted inOctober 2024: Latino Vote
Wildfires could devastate Butte’s water supply
How officials are working to get ahead of disaster.
Posted inNovember 2024: The Once and Future Prairie
After half a century, the Apache trout swims off the threatened species list
Arizona’s state fish is doing well but faces a daunting future.
Posted inArticles
How carbon removal can help curb wildfires and build houses
Local governments in the Four Corners back homegrown carbon-removal projects.
Posted inArticles
Is your community ready for a wildfire?
Local governments throughout the West are investing in wildfire defense. Here’s how to know if yours is one of them.