Rethinking Our Relationship With Fire

During this fire season, millions of acres of land have burned throughout the western U.S., with over 4 million acres burned in California alone, and the fire season is not over. Fires have destroyed thousands of homes, dozens of lives have been lost, and persistent smoke from these fires has created hazardous air quality across the West. The long-term impacts of smoke inhalation are yet to be realized. Near Bozeman, we recently experienced the fast-moving Bridger Foothills Fire, which consumed 30 homes in a matter of hours.