For most of the year, Lynne Chastain-Carpenter, MaryGrace Bedwell and Tray Hall work in different parts of the Forest Service with responsibilities that typically have little connection to fire

“Temperature is 69 degrees. Relative humidity is 48%. Winds from the south, 2-3 miles per hour. High Glade,” said Annelle Durham as she lowered the radio, a callout eight years in the making. In 2018

The orange cones are set, and the clock starts running. Inside the cab of a Forest Service fire engine, a firefighter from Wyoming grips the wheel and begins running the truck backward through a

Reforestation at scale requires science, coordination and committed partners. And that’s exactly what’s underway in the Mendocino National Forest. (Forest Service video by Andrew Avitt) Nature will

Forest Service pilots lift off an unmanned aircraft system shortly after sunrise, climbing above a burned area from the Cameron Peak Fire in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests & Pawnee

Not long ago, these hillsides were completely blackened. Trees stood scorched. Now early spring grasses cover the ground, bringing new growth to the charred remains of a 2024 wildfire that swept

Rugged terrain, proximity to water, and the bustle of a busy national recreation area made the Tracy Ridge Prescribed Fire one of the Allegheny National Forest’s most complex operations. These factors

Along the foothills of the Big Belt Mountains near York, Montana, it’s unusual to see bare ground above 5,000 feet in February. But this winter’s low snowpack in the Northern Rockies created a rare

The Heavy Equipment of Firefighting Wildland firefighting is a coordinated effort. Like players on a sports team or musicians in an orchestra, hand crews, smokejumpers, water tenders, fire engines

When smoke begins to rise across the Rocky Mountains, a unique firefighting force lifts off—fast. Operation Sky Hammer was designed to improve success during initial attack on wildfires. The effort

Pick your favorite theme song and imagine it hits the loudspeakers. You suit up, load up and head out to the plane. After a 20-minute flight you are briefed about the jump spot and the fire behavior

The warning signs flashed early this year. After a dismal winter snowpack across many western high elevations, forests are drying faster and by midsummer may be ripe for extreme fire conditions

Drones, also referred to as uncrewed aerial systems or UAS, have been increasingly complicating airspace around wildfires since the first consumer models came to market in 2013. These mechanical

In places like the Pike-San Isabel National Forests across the country, fire has shaped the land for thousands of years. Many forests depend on fire to stay healthy. Fire cleans out old needles

Tahoe National Forest’s North Yuba watershed is a highly productive water source for downstream residents and the agricultural industry across northern California. Although it is the largest

When 95% of wildfires are started by humans — especially in a part of the country like Southern California with 25 million people — stopping wildfires before they start is a lofty goal. But for Nicole

Editor’s note: Across the West, land managers are working together to accomplish what they cannot do alone — to restore massive areas affected by past wildfire while also strategically planning how to

At the end of a long shift, black stains cover yellow Nomex shirts, telling the story of grueling hours spent on the fireline. Across the West each summer, wildland firefighters collapse into sleeping

Wildfires are everyone’s concern—they threaten not just the forests in which they burn, but the lives, property and livelihoods of nearby communities. Many communities that live in the shadow of

What do you do when you can't entirely stop something bad from happening? You mitigate the damage it might cause. Natural disasters, like hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires, can never be completely