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Fires are increasingly gaining steam overnight in the West, especially in mountainous regions. A recent study says drought conditions are the largest driver.
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Beneficial fire is an essential part of confronting the wildfire crisis. But for now, there’s not enough people to do the work. A prescribed burn this spring in Central Idaho shows how partnerships can get more workers on the line.
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Fire danger has been raised to “moderate” for the Teton area. That includes Grand Teton National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest and the National Elk Refuge. The increase is due to warmer and windier conditions, and the fact that grasses, shrubs and trees are drying out.
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Forecasters are predicting a normal fire season. But that’s still a lot of fires – Wyoming averages 800 wildfires a year. State officials say Wyoming’s strongest asset in fighting those hundreds of fires is a bunch of local, state, and federal agencies working together.
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This Memorial Day weekend, the Bureau of Land Management hopes people can get out and enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Wyoming. But they also want to make sure that people are doing their part to prevent any unnecessary wildfires on public lands.
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Home insurance is becoming a more uncertain market, in large part due to climate-fueled disasters like wildfires. Some states in the West are taking steps to address the situation, like Oregon where a 2023 law requires insurers to account for home-hardening measures in their underwriting models. In California, they’re trying to take it a step further.
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Many Indigenous peoples in North America have long standing traditions of cultural burning, the deliberate ignition of fires for a wide array of purposes. With the robust participation of tribal members, a new paper tries to quantify the scale of past burning by the Karuk people of Northern California.
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It made national headlines in October 2022 when Forest Service burn boss Ricky Snodgrass was arrested while overseeing a prescribed fire in rural Oregon. Now, a year and a half later, Snodgrass has been indicted on a misdemeanor reckless burning charge. The union he’s a member of is hopeful that he won’t be found guilty, but a representative says the case has still had impacts.
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Grassroots Wildland Firefighters gathered well over 13,000 signatures on a petition demanding action from Congress on the looming pay cliff for federal firefighters. There are several legislative fixes in play, but the Sept. 30 deadline is fast approaching and legislators are on recess until the middle of next month.
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The nation’s recent heat wave is quickly drying out vegetation, which is leading land officials around the West to issue fire warnings and restrictions.