Guardians on the volcano
Mount Shasta climbing rangers
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 — only steep slopes, shifting weather and thousands of climbers each year drawn to one of the most iconic peaks in the country. On Mount Shasta, the mission is carried out by a small group of highly skilled professionals known as climbing rangers. They are mountaineers, educators and first...-
Guardians on the volcano
April 28,2026
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 -
Busy airspace
April 23,2026
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 -
The forest needs a hand
April 21,2026
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 -
Water in the West is life
April 16,2026
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 -
Putting fire on the ground
April 14,2026
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 -
Reducing fuels on steep slopes
March 24,2026
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 -
The fire that never starts
March 9,2026
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 -
Where Olympians are made
February 6,2026
For Olympic medalist Shannon Dunn-Downing, the road to the podium didn’t begin in a private club or elite training facility. It began on public lands in the mountains of Colorado. Public lands
