The Trump admin says repealing the Roadless Rule will reduce wildfires. A new study casts doubt on that.
The Trump administration says it wants to repeal the longstanding Roadless Rule, which protects national forest lands from logging and new roads, to reduce wildfire risk. But new research shows that fires haven’t burned significantly more in roadless areas than in developed forest areas across the West.
Scientists at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University analyzed 40 years of wildfire data across national forests in 11 western states where most roadless areas are located.
“Essentially there’s no difference in the extent of fire in inventoried roadless areas than in areas that have lots of roads,” said James Johnston, a co-author of the paper and professor at the University of Oregon. “In fact, in the last 12 years or so, there’s been slightly less fire in inventoried roadless areas than in those developed areas.”
The Trump administration says it wants to repeal the longstanding Roadless Rule, which protects national forest lands from logging and new roads, to reduce wildfire risk. But new research shows that fires haven’t burned significantly more in roadless areas than in developed forest areas across the West.
Scientists at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University analyzed 40 years of wildfire data across national forests in 11 western states where most roadless areas are located.
“Essentially there’s no difference in the extent of fire in inventoried roadless areas than in areas that have lots of roads,” said James Johnston, a co-author of the paper and professor at the University of Oregon. “In fact, in the last 12 years or so, there’s been slightly less fire in inventoried roadless areas than in those developed areas.”
Incarcerated people among thousands of firefighters battling Oregon’s aggressive fire season
On a misty spring day in Oregon’s Tillamook State Forest, a group of incarcerated men wearing yellow collared shirts and hard hats gathered around an instructor warning them about the dangers of an over-pressurized firefighting hose.
If left for too long, he said, a hose could overheat and explode, leaving those nearby with third-degree burns.
Such were the risks that these men were willing to take to avoid sleeping in a prison cell.
On a misty spring day in Oregon’s Tillamook State Forest, a group of incarcerated men wearing yellow collared shirts and hard hats gathered around an instructor warning them about the dangers of an over-pressurized firefighting hose.
If left for too long, he said, a hose could overheat and explode, leaving those nearby with third-degree burns.
Such were the risks that these men were willing to take to avoid sleeping in a prison cell.
Extreme heat is taking a toll on firefighters as wildfires stretch crews to the limit
When a wildfire threatens a community, most people don’t think to ask whether the firefighters coming to help slept enough the night before, recovered from the previous day’s shift or have enough energy left for another day on the fire line. They simply expect firefighters to show up.
But that workforce is increasingly being stretched to its limits.
When a wildfire threatens a community, most people don’t think to ask whether the firefighters coming to help slept enough the night before, recovered from the previous day’s shift or have enough energy left for another day on the fire line. They simply expect firefighters to show up.
But that workforce is increasingly being stretched to its limits.
Firefighters sound alarm as US faces critical staffing shortage: ‘We don’t have enough people’
The US has faced a critical shortage of firefighters at the US Forest Service (USFS) this summer as thousands of fires erupted across the country.
Despite officials’ claims that the firefighting workforce was stronger than ever, the agency has failed to keep pace with escalating conditions and the catastrophic fires fueled by them, according to nine firefighters who spoke to the Guardian anonymously, because they are barred from disclosing the information to the public.
The US has faced a critical shortage of firefighters at the US Forest Service (USFS) this summer as thousands of fires erupted across the country.
Despite officials’ claims that the firefighting workforce was stronger than ever, the agency has failed to keep pace with escalating conditions and the catastrophic fires fueled by them, according to nine firefighters who spoke to the Guardian anonymously, because they are barred from disclosing the information to the public.
Federal Job Cuts Are Making Wildfires Harder to Fight. The Trump administration pushed out thousands of veteran U.S. Forest Service staff. An ‘extraordinary’ fire season is testing those who are left.
The nation’s wildfire-fighting corps is a mix of state, local and federal workers and private crews-for-hire who work together. As more than 100 wildfires burn in 15 states, state resources are strained. At the same time, the federal government has cut jobs at the U.S. Forest Service and is consolidating its firefighting capabilities. The result is confusion, supply problems and slower responses, according to former Forest Service officials and the union representing the agency’s workers.
When tragedy strikes, America's wildland firefighters ask, was it 'somebody that we loved?'
Former Forest Service fire scientist Dave Calkin calls the circumstances of the late June tragedy very concerning.
"The thing that really hurt me the most was the apparent lack of values that they were protecting, and the reality of how risky that environment is," he said, citing the high winds, inaccessibility and reliance on helicopters for getting firefighters to safety.
"When confronted with extreme conditions," Calkin said, taking the "safest option possible" is the right strategy. "And that safest option is to fall back and wait for better conditions or better locations."
Former Forest Service fire scientist Dave Calkin calls the circumstances of the late June tragedy very concerning.
"The thing that really hurt me the most was the apparent lack of values that they were protecting, and the reality of how risky that environment is," he said, citing the high winds, inaccessibility and reliance on helicopters for getting firefighters to safety.
"When confronted with extreme conditions," Calkin said, taking the "safest option possible" is the right strategy. "And that safest option is to fall back and wait for better conditions or better locations."
Mental, not physical therapy — firefighters take steps to relieve the toll of exhausting, sometimes tragic work
The deadly fire on the Colorado/Utah border has claimed the life of a fourth firefighter. 43-year-old Nathan Matthews, of Lincoln, Nebraska, had been hospitalized since the Snyder fire burnover June 27. Also this season, a helicopter pilot died fighting the Gold Mountain fire. How does this affect the mental health of their fellow firefighters?
The deadly fire on the Colorado/Utah border has claimed the life of a fourth firefighter. 43-year-old Nathan Matthews, of Lincoln, Nebraska, had been hospitalized since the Snyder fire burnover June 27. Also this season, a helicopter pilot died fighting the Gold Mountain fire. How does this affect the mental health of their fellow firefighters?
U.S. Firefighting Resources Are Already Maxed Out — And It’s Only July
The country is using nearly all of its wildfire fighting resources far earlier in the season than usual, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center. On July 18, the country reached “Preparedness Level 5” status, the highest possible level on a scale that measures how much wildfires are taxing resources.
The country is using nearly all of its wildfire fighting resources far earlier in the season than usual, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center. On July 18, the country reached “Preparedness Level 5” status, the highest possible level on a scale that measures how much wildfires are taxing resources.
On Fire. Again.
There were orange skies in 2023, 2025 and now again in 2026. Over the last few years, one thing has become glaringly clear: The East Coast is totally unequipped for the next climate disaster, wildfires. The Opinion writer David Wallace-Wells explains that with every climate disaster, we’re not just adapting to a “new normal,” but bracing ourselves for what’s next.
There were orange skies in 2023, 2025 and now again in 2026. Over the last few years, one thing has become glaringly clear: The East Coast is totally unequipped for the next climate disaster, wildfires. The Opinion writer David Wallace-Wells explains that with every climate disaster, we’re not just adapting to a “new normal,” but bracing ourselves for what’s next.
After wildfires destroyed 95% of this California tribe’s forests, members uncovered 1,200 ancestral sites
CONCOW, Calif. — Until recently, when members of the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu pulled up a map of their ancestral land in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, only about two dozen of their historic sites appeared.
CONCOW, Calif. — Until recently, when members of the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu pulled up a map of their ancestral land in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, only about two dozen of their historic sites appeared.
Old burn helps contain Pocket Fire near Sedona
“When this fire really blew up and headed toward Kachina Village and the south end of Flagstaff, it ran into Slide Fire burn,” Patterson said. The burnt area from that 2014 blaze did not provide much additional fuel.
“It calmed it right down,” Patterson said. “The burn helped prevent this from being a 100,000-acre catastrophic fire. So that’s a bit of success story.”
“When this fire really blew up and headed toward Kachina Village and the south end of Flagstaff, it ran into Slide Fire burn,” Patterson said. The burnt area from that 2014 blaze did not provide much additional fuel.
“It calmed it right down,” Patterson said. “The burn helped prevent this from being a 100,000-acre catastrophic fire. So that’s a bit of success story.”
Fireworks, heat and drought put this July 4th at high risk for wildfires
Fireworks, from bottle rockets to Roman candles, start a lot of fires in the U.S. every year – 32,000 of them in 2023 alone. And each year there is a clear spike in human-caused fires on July 4.
The return of good fire: The Maidu reclaim an ancient tool to heal and protect land from wildfires
In Berry Creek, a 60-acre property burned to ash in the 2020 North Complex Fire has becoming something else: a place of restoration, healing and renewed purpose for local Maidu tribes.
In Berry Creek, a 60-acre property burned to ash in the 2020 North Complex Fire has becoming something else: a place of restoration, healing and renewed purpose for local Maidu tribes.
Senate Republicans propose rescinding ‘roadless rule’ — by tacking it onto federal wildfire bill
A brief moment of bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate turned political on Wednesday, when Republican lawmakers introduced a new provision to a wildfire bill.
That bill, called the Wildfire Prevention Act, would mandate increasing prescribed fires and forest thinning in federal forests.
It had support of both Democrats and Republicans when it was first introduced before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. That common ground evaporated after Senate Republicans attached a repeal of what’s known as the “the roadless rule” to the bill.
A brief moment of bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate turned political on Wednesday, when Republican lawmakers introduced a new provision to a wildfire bill.
That bill, called the Wildfire Prevention Act, would mandate increasing prescribed fires and forest thinning in federal forests.
It had support of both Democrats and Republicans when it was first introduced before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. That common ground evaporated after Senate Republicans attached a repeal of what’s known as the “the roadless rule” to the bill.
Trump is taking aim at forest and wildfire research just as the West is poised to burn
If Congress were to approve President Trump's proposed budget for the agency, the U.S. Forest Service would be a skeleton of its former self, just as climate change is accelerating the frequency and severity of wildfires in the U.S. The agency already lost thousands of staff last year to layoffs, buyouts and early retirement due to President Trump's DOGE team.
Westerners working at research universities are nervous, as are people in small towns that depend on the USFS for everything from jobs to fighting fires to forecasting smoke.
If Congress were to approve President Trump's proposed budget for the agency, the U.S. Forest Service would be a skeleton of its former self, just as climate change is accelerating the frequency and severity of wildfires in the U.S. The agency already lost thousands of staff last year to layoffs, buyouts and early retirement due to President Trump's DOGE team.
Westerners working at research universities are nervous, as are people in small towns that depend on the USFS for everything from jobs to fighting fires to forecasting smoke.
Mike Lee ignites controversy after adding roadless rule repeal to a wildfire bill
Utah Sen. Mike Lee and fellow Republicans added a repeal of the controversial roadless rule to a previously bipartisan wildfire bill on Wednesday.
The amended Wildfire Prevention Act passed out of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on an 11-9 vote split along party lines and now heads to the full Senate. The act would nullify the 2001 roadless rule, which prevents logging and roadbuilding on nearly 59 million acres of national forest land, including roughly 4 million acres in Utah.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee and fellow Republicans added a repeal of the controversial roadless rule to a previously bipartisan wildfire bill on Wednesday.
The amended Wildfire Prevention Act passed out of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on an 11-9 vote split along party lines and now heads to the full Senate. The act would nullify the 2001 roadless rule, which prevents logging and roadbuilding on nearly 59 million acres of national forest land, including roughly 4 million acres in Utah.
Planned forest fires have wider benefits than previously thought
Setting intentional forest fires and letting other low-severity ones burn can significantly lower the chances of extreme blazes torching those same areas in the future, according to a new study released Thursday, while reducing toxic smoke over time.
Those controlled blazes, known as prescribed burns, can offer fire protection for more than a decade, the researchers found in a paper published in the journal Science. The findings are the latest in a robust body of research showing how managed fires can reduce the chances of megafires.
Setting intentional forest fires and letting other low-severity ones burn can significantly lower the chances of extreme blazes torching those same areas in the future, according to a new study released Thursday, while reducing toxic smoke over time.
Those controlled blazes, known as prescribed burns, can offer fire protection for more than a decade, the researchers found in a paper published in the journal Science. The findings are the latest in a robust body of research showing how managed fires can reduce the chances of megafires.
A U.S. senator pushed to cut firefighting aircraft inspections the same month his former company failed one
A little over a year ago, Sen. Tim Sheehy floated an audacious proposal to reshape the way the federal government fights wildfires. It called for expanding the use of private planes and helicopters to quickly attack blazes while also eliminating the U.S. Forest Service’s rigorous airworthiness inspections for those aircraft.
The idea stood to benefit Sheehy, a Montana Republican, personally. Before running for Congress, he founded and ran an aerial firefighting company called Bridger Aerospace, which is known for its scoopers, aircraft built to retrieve water from lakes or oceans and drop it onto fires. Since 2021, the Forest Service has paid Bridger more than $235 million for use of its scoopers, according to public records.
A little over a year ago, Sen. Tim Sheehy floated an audacious proposal to reshape the way the federal government fights wildfires. It called for expanding the use of private planes and helicopters to quickly attack blazes while also eliminating the U.S. Forest Service’s rigorous airworthiness inspections for those aircraft.
The idea stood to benefit Sheehy, a Montana Republican, personally. Before running for Congress, he founded and ran an aerial firefighting company called Bridger Aerospace, which is known for its scoopers, aircraft built to retrieve water from lakes or oceans and drop it onto fires. Since 2021, the Forest Service has paid Bridger more than $235 million for use of its scoopers, according to public records.
US drought tests Trump strategy of logging to fight wildfire
Forest thinning can reduce wildfire intensity, severity, and spread even in extreme drought, but only if it’s done based on unique local conditions and is followed up with intentionally-set prescribed fire, said Tony Cheng, director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University.
“Logging on its own, without prescribed fire, can intensify fires if a lot of logging debris is left on site,” he said. “The most effective land treatment to limit the unwanted impacts of wildfire is, ironically, fire – prescribed fire or managed wildland fire.”
Forest thinning can reduce wildfire intensity, severity, and spread even in extreme drought, but only if it’s done based on unique local conditions and is followed up with intentionally-set prescribed fire, said Tony Cheng, director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University.
“Logging on its own, without prescribed fire, can intensify fires if a lot of logging debris is left on site,” he said. “The most effective land treatment to limit the unwanted impacts of wildfire is, ironically, fire – prescribed fire or managed wildland fire.”
Firefighter health is a top priority in the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service. What could that mean?
The Mountain West News Bureau’s wildfire reporter Murphy Woodhouse recently spoke at length with Chief Brian Fennessy, the inaugural head of the Department of Interior’s U.S. Wildland Fire Service.
A major theme of their conversation was firefighter health and well-being. Cancer and other long-term health risks are growing concerns in wildland fire, but so too are the high mental health tolls the work takes.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s wildfire reporter Murphy Woodhouse recently spoke at length with Chief Brian Fennessy, the inaugural head of the Department of Interior’s U.S. Wildland Fire Service.
A major theme of their conversation was firefighter health and well-being. Cancer and other long-term health risks are growing concerns in wildland fire, but so too are the high mental health tolls the work takes.