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A fire dozer parked along side a dirt road in a pinyon forest while smoke from a large wildfire rises into the sky in the background.
Heavy equipment fighting and mitigating fire

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
A wildland firefighter skycrane helicopter on the ground with a semi-truck and tank trailer in the background.
A new weapon for initial attack

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
A smokejumper kneels beside an aircraft to do final checks before boarding. Two people stand near the aircraft doorway talking.
Academy brings together all Forest Service and Department of Interior bases

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
Image shows wildfire burning in a forest with white text overlaid, reading: "THE FOREST SERVICE'S WILDFIRE FORCE, PREPARED AND READY"
Forest Service ramps up for expected busy wildfire season

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
Image shows a helicopter flying above a backpacker on an ice-covered plain with mountains rising in the background.
Mount Shasta climbing rangers
Shasta-Trinity National Forest

High above Northern California, where tree line gives way to rock, snow, and exposure, the work of the U.S. Forest Service takes on a different form. There are no roads, no engines, and no easy access
A drone on a launch pad while a large forest fire burns in the background.
Record number of consumer drones are keeping firefighters grounded

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
Image shows a bunch of small seedlings.
How shared stewardship shapes forest management across the country
Boise National Forest

From seed to forest, recovery doesn’t happen on its own. Across the country, the Forest Service works with state, local and other partners to reduce wildfire risk, restore landscapes and grow the next
An aerial view of rivers flowing through the mountains of western Colorado.
Working forests, protected water: safeguarding critical watersheds in Western Colorado
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests

On Colorado’s Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison national forests, water for the region begins as snow in high-elevation locations before flowing down to creeks, reservoirs and irrigation systems
Image shows a firefighter squatting down applying prescribed fire while several other firefighters look on in a forest setting.
Prescribed fire and mechanical thinning reduce wildfire risk
Pike-San Isabel National Forests

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
Image shows a helicopter hovering over a logging pile.
How partnerships and technology advancements are moving critical forest restoration work forward
Tahoe National Forest

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