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forest fires

A collection of 12 posts

The Biodiversity Crisis

The Biodiversity Crisis

It’s not just trees and animals that suffer when flames vanish. Eighty percent of a forest’s diversity is in its understory.

Exigent Public Health Crisis from Wildfire Smoke — Immediate, Cost-Negative Remedy via Targeted Relocation of Excess Wild Horses under Existing Federal Authorities

Wild Horse Fire Brigade

Exigent Public Health Crisis from Wildfire Smoke — Immediate, Cost-Negative Remedy via Targeted Relocation of Excess Wild Horses under Existing Federal Authorities

A new executive briefing argues that toxic wildfire smoke has become a national public health emergency and proposes an unconventional solution: using excess federally managed wild horses to reduce wildfire fuels in remote forests.

Canada’s Ability to Prevent Forest Fires Lags Behind the Need

Fighting Wildfires

Canada’s Ability to Prevent Forest Fires Lags Behind the Need

Canada’s capacity to prevent wildfires has been shrinking for decades because of budget cuts, a loss of some of the country’s forest service staff, and onerous rules for fire prevention, turning some of its forests into a tinderbox.

Wildfire management via horses

Wild Horse Fire Brigade

The 2026 Ranger Road Fire Proves Livestock Grazing Alone Has Failed — And Opposing Wild Horse Rewilding in Unsuitable Lands Is Recklessly Negligent

The 2026 Ranger Road Fire has reignited debate over how America manages wildfire fuels.

Report On The Ineffectiveness Of Forest Wildfire Mitigation Measures: Insights From The Bootleg Fire And Scientific Principles

Wild Horse Fire Brigade

Report On The Ineffectiveness Of Forest Wildfire Mitigation Measures: Insights From The Bootleg Fire And Scientific Principles

If we truly want less wildfires and toxic smoke, we need to embrace the hard truths that are arguably being suppressed for the sake of wildfire profiteers

How We Treat Wild Horses

"Invasion Biology"

How We Treat Wild Horses

This video was created by Wild Horse Fire Brigade, a non-profit dedicated to expanding wild horse populations in order to reduce fire hazard on public lands.

The Big Burn of 1910 and the Choking of America’s Forests

California wildfires

The Big Burn of 1910 and the Choking of America’s Forests

This article from PERC (Property and Environment Research Center), the free market environmental think tank based in Bozeman, discusses the origin of the public forest management policy that has turned out to be so bad for our national forests. NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.org on June

A Legacy of Tinderbox Forests

A Legacy of Tinderbox Forests

“Quoting the author below, ” Fire caused by the effects of climate change will require human intervention of another order (of magnitude). NOTE: this article was originally published to WSJ.com on August 19, 2021. It was written by Amanda Foreman. Long before climate change exacerbated the problem, policies meant to

After Years of Political Gridlock, Oregon’s Fire Disaster Brings ‘New Reality’

After Years of Political Gridlock, Oregon’s Fire Disaster Brings ‘New Reality’

Insistence on unproven and costly schemes like “cap and trade” continue to block immediate, inexpensive measures for wildfire prevention. NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on September 23, 2020. It was written by Mike Baker. Early this year, lawmakers considered legislation to thin forests, hire firefighters and

Trapped in Paradise

California’s Camp Fire

Trapped in Paradise

Decades of neglect have turned much of America’s forests into fire traps. Many need immediate attention to reduce brush, dead trees and overcrowding.