wildfires

From Spokane, Wash. to Pueblo County, Colo., fast-moving fires have again wreaked havoc in neighborhoods this summer. Now, a network of scientists, fire professionals and other experts have joined forces to seek research-based solutions to the problem.

So-called process based restoration (PBR) has a number of ecological benefits. But it can make ecosystems more resilient to wildfires when they come, and better able to recover in their wake.

The volunteer fire department is looking for community support to purchase a side-by-side to help get them quicker to rural fires.

Giant sequoias only grow naturally in California today. But they once ranged as far east as Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada, before the climate turned drier and pushed them into their current, narrower range.

State Forester Kelly Norris provided an update on wildfire responses and expenses during the most recent Joint Appropriations Committee meeting.

The three countries have a years-long practice of sharing wildfire resources during each other's often intense seasons, which mostly don't overlap.

There were early signs that this fire season could be a big one, especially the record-low snowpack last winter. In Teton County — near the Grand Targhee Resort — that spurred interest in a novel effort: raising money to help hire a local wildfire mitigation coordinator.

In some parts of the West - like the grass and shrublands of the Idaho-Oregon-Nevada tristate area - closer to two-thirds of burned area is associated with heatwaves.

Fast, intense wildfires are making it harder for forests to recover and can change the entire ecosystem.

The Trump administration moved forward with repealing the Roadless Rule last week, kicking off a final public comment period ending Sept. 21.