OPINION: Building more roads in national forests won’t prevent wildfires
Building roads is one of the most devastating things you can do to backcountry native forests. Carved into steep mountain slopes, gravel roads are perpetual sources of sediment that pollute waterways, foul fish habitat, spread invasive weeds and invite unnatural wildfires.
Despite these risks, the Trump administration wants to revoke the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and bulldoze new roads into national forests, claiming that they are necessary for “wildfire prevention” and “fuels reduction” to improve firefighter efficiency.
This is a pants-on-fire false alarm that ignores scientific evidence and denies the last quarter-century of lived experience.
Building roads leads to the destruction of native forests. Roads are lifeless, linear clear-cuts that open doors for commercial logging that converts tree groves into slash-covered stump fields and tree farms, while logging roads become lined with thickets of shrubs and invasive weeds.
This kind of phony “fuels reduction” makes roads and logging sites much more flammable than the original native forest cover. Indeed, tree farms are like firebombs, and logging roads are their fuses. But the Trump administration wants the public to believe that road building and logging will help prevent wildfires because they seemingly aid firefighting.
By now it’s clear the Trump administration is far outside public opinion in its views of Western public lands.
Yet Trump’s staff continue to dismantle our system of federal lands in direct conflict with the wishes of most Americas according to numerous polls.
Sabotage of public lands continues
By now it’s clear the Trump administration is far outside public opinion in its views of Western public lands.
Yet Trump’s staff continue to dismantle our system of federal lands in direct conflict with the wishes of most Americas according to numerous polls.
By now it’s clear the Trump administration is far outside public opinion in its views of Western public lands.
Yet Trump’s staff continue to dismantle our system of federal lands in direct conflict with the wishes of most Americas according to numerous polls.
US firefighter detained on the job speaks out after deportation: ‘I feel betrayed’
Border patrol arrested José Bertin Cruz-Estrada while he was battling a wildfire in Washington. He is now in Mexico, separated from his family in Oregon
Border patrol arrested José Bertin Cruz-Estrada while he was battling a wildfire in Washington. He is now in Mexico, separated from his family in Oregon
Forest Service restarts effort to change decades-old Pacific Northwest forest policy
Initial efforts to amend the Northwest Forest Plan focused on getting input from tribes on how the federal government should manage their ancestral lands. Forest Service officials created an advisory committee made up of multiple tribal representatives, as well as people representing environmental and timber interests, to guide its policies. They also held forums with tribes to gather input ahead of drafting proposed changes.
“It was a tribal-centric effort,” said Ryan Reed, a former advisory committee representative and a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in Northern California. “That was the headliner of our work. It’s disheartening that they felt that wasn’t enough.”
Initial efforts to amend the Northwest Forest Plan focused on getting input from tribes on how the federal government should manage their ancestral lands. Forest Service officials created an advisory committee made up of multiple tribal representatives, as well as people representing environmental and timber interests, to guide its policies. They also held forums with tribes to gather input ahead of drafting proposed changes.
“It was a tribal-centric effort,” said Ryan Reed, a former advisory committee representative and a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in Northern California. “That was the headliner of our work. It’s disheartening that they felt that wasn’t enough.”
Bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act would bring big changes to national wildfire policy
Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology (FUSEE) said that part of the bill “expands categorical exclusions and emergency authorities that weaken analysis, public engagement, and environmental safeguards” and “encourages logging-centric approaches that are not ecologically sound or fire-resilient.”
FUSEE supports other parts of FOFA, like those aiming to facilitate prescribed fire and make communities more resilient to blazes. The group encourages Congress to improve the bill through amendments, but does not endorse it in “its current form.”
“The Act, as drafted, prioritizes expedited logging over ecological fire management and lacks funding for the reforms wildland firefighters need,” the group wrote in a recent message to legislators.
Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology (FUSEE) said that part of the bill “expands categorical exclusions and emergency authorities that weaken analysis, public engagement, and environmental safeguards” and “encourages logging-centric approaches that are not ecologically sound or fire-resilient.”
FUSEE supports other parts of FOFA, like those aiming to facilitate prescribed fire and make communities more resilient to blazes. The group encourages Congress to improve the bill through amendments, but does not endorse it in “its current form.”
“The Act, as drafted, prioritizes expedited logging over ecological fire management and lacks funding for the reforms wildland firefighters need,” the group wrote in a recent message to legislators.
12 hours in the smoke
Wildfire fighters nationwide are getting sick and dying at young ages, The New York Times has reported. The federal government acknowledges that the job is linked to lung disease, heart damage and more than a dozen kinds of cancer.
But the U.S. Forest Service, which employs thousands of firefighters, has for decades ignored recommendations from its own scientists to monitor the conditions at the fire line and limit shifts when the air becomes unsafe.
Wildfire fighters nationwide are getting sick and dying at young ages, The New York Times has reported. The federal government acknowledges that the job is linked to lung disease, heart damage and more than a dozen kinds of cancer.
But the U.S. Forest Service, which employs thousands of firefighters, has for decades ignored recommendations from its own scientists to monitor the conditions at the fire line and limit shifts when the air becomes unsafe.
Some Oregon wildfire mitigation projects stalled by government shutdown
Terry Fairbanks, executive director of Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative, said Forest Service payments have been held up but are eventually being processed. "Delays, definitely. But a total stone wall — no," she said.
Dustin Rymph, coordinator with the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative, said contractors are currently doing fuels reduction work in the area. Pile burning, although briefly delayed, is also moving forward.
"There definitely was some lost momentum during a really important burn window," Rymph.
Terry Fairbanks, executive director of Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative, said Forest Service payments have been held up but are eventually being processed. "Delays, definitely. But a total stone wall — no," she said.
Dustin Rymph, coordinator with the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative, said contractors are currently doing fuels reduction work in the area. Pile burning, although briefly delayed, is also moving forward.
"There definitely was some lost momentum during a really important burn window," Rymph.
Bolivia Burning: Inside a Latin American Ecocide
Documentary film exposes the role of colonisers and agribusiness in causing massive forest fires
Documentary film exposes the role of colonisers and agribusiness in causing massive forest fires
Painting with fire: How indigenous practices can help protect forests
As wildfires intensify and pose a growing risk in the American West, tribal leaders and community members are bringing fire back to their forests to save them.
As wildfires intensify and pose a growing risk in the American West, tribal leaders and community members are bringing fire back to their forests to save them.
Washington state’s wildfire future: More volatile forests amid slashed budgets
As the number of fire ignitions continues to rise, each new fire represents a roll of the dice, said Michael Medler, a former wildland firefighter and pyrogeography researcher at Western Washington University. Chances of a major fire in Western Washington might be low in a given year but they’re growing.
The paradigm brings to mind Hurricane Katrina, Medler said. In the aftermath, then-President George W. Bush claimed that nobody anticipated New Orleans’ levees breaching in the storm surge.
Sure they did, Medler said. Anybody who thought about it for an hour anticipated the breach.
“That’s where we’re at. Who could anticipate a $5 billion west-side Cascades fire? Everyone who’s thought about it,” said Medler, referencing the potential cost of damages from such a blaze.
WA’s wildfire future: More volatile forests amid slashed budgets
Put together, said Timothy Ingalsbee, a wildland fire ecologist based in Eugene, Ore., the Trump administration is dismantling the country’s resources to guard against, fight and recover from wildfires at a time when the risk is increasing. And it’s putting much more pressure on states that aren’t financially capable of making up the difference.
“We are running fast in the wrong direction,” Ingalsbee said.
The gap between science and contemporary fire management is huge and growing, said Ingalsbee, who also heads the nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology.
Put together, said Timothy Ingalsbee, a wildland fire ecologist based in Eugene, Ore., the Trump administration is dismantling the country’s resources to guard against, fight and recover from wildfires at a time when the risk is increasing. And it’s putting much more pressure on states that aren’t financially capable of making up the difference.
“We are running fast in the wrong direction,” Ingalsbee said.
The gap between science and contemporary fire management is huge and growing, said Ingalsbee, who also heads the nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology.
Fighting fire with fire. FUSEE hosts its second Fall Fire Festival
“We need more than just a new policy, we need a new culture that welcomes all the gifts that fire brings,” says Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, a local wildland firefighting nonprofit. Ingalsbee says that FUSEE’s mission is to promote ecological fire management by working with fire instead of fighting against it.
“We need more than just a new policy, we need a new culture that welcomes all the gifts that fire brings,” says Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, a local wildland firefighting nonprofit. Ingalsbee says that FUSEE’s mission is to promote ecological fire management by working with fire instead of fighting against it.
Costly and deadly wildfires really are on the rise, new research finds
Fire is a natural and beneficial part of many ecosystems. But climate change can make fire seasons longer, hotter and drier. On top of that, humans have been artificially suppressing wildfire for decades, which creates more fuel for fires, and moving deeper into fire-prone areas.
Fire is a natural and beneficial part of many ecosystems. But climate change can make fire seasons longer, hotter and drier. On top of that, humans have been artificially suppressing wildfire for decades, which creates more fuel for fires, and moving deeper into fire-prone areas.
Federal fire agencies take first steps toward consolidation, other reforms
“It seemed from the outset that consolidation was just a means of further downsizing the wildland fire workforce and shrinking the budget for federal fire management,” said Tim Ingalsbee, head of the advocacy group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology.
But beyond any specific policy, Ingalsbee wants to see a more fundamental change.
“We need to shift from this reactive mode of emergency wildfire suppression to a proactive mode of intentional ecological fire management,” he argued. “We have to increase and facilitate the use of beneficial fire.”
“It seemed from the outset that consolidation was just a means of further downsizing the wildland fire workforce and shrinking the budget for federal fire management,” said Tim Ingalsbee, head of the advocacy group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology.
But beyond any specific policy, Ingalsbee wants to see a more fundamental change.
“We need to shift from this reactive mode of emergency wildfire suppression to a proactive mode of intentional ecological fire management,” he argued. “We have to increase and facilitate the use of beneficial fire.”
New wildfire agency launched to streamline federal response
Despite the administration’s optimistic outlook, critics have raised concerns that the new agency may overlook the ecological role of fire in land management. Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, cautioned that the discourse surrounding fire management appears to focus solely on its threats, rather than recognizing its role within ecosystems.
Ingalsbee, however, remains skeptical about whether this unification will enhance interagency coordination. He highlighted the distinct differences in fire management strategies between agencies such as the Forest Service and the National Park Service, raising concerns that the initiative could either push the Forest Service towards a more ecological management approach or vice versa.
Despite the administration’s optimistic outlook, critics have raised concerns that the new agency may overlook the ecological role of fire in land management. Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, cautioned that the discourse surrounding fire management appears to focus solely on its threats, rather than recognizing its role within ecosystems.
Ingalsbee, however, remains skeptical about whether this unification will enhance interagency coordination. He highlighted the distinct differences in fire management strategies between agencies such as the Forest Service and the National Park Service, raising concerns that the initiative could either push the Forest Service towards a more ecological management approach or vice versa.
Interior and Agriculture heads lay out plan for more efficient wildfire collaboration
“It offers a hope for some fundamental change in federal fire management, particularly within the U.S. Forest Service,” Tim Ingalsbee, head of the advocacy group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said of the memos.
But a big part of the change he’d like to see is a reorientation toward putting more beneficial fire on the ground.
“We have to increase and facilitate the use of beneficial fire on the landscape,” he said, referring to practices like prescribed fire. “And there's nothing even hinting of that necessary change in either.”
Instead, he worries that the plans could lead to “further downsizing the wildland fire workforce and shrinking the budget for federal fire management.”
“It offers a hope for some fundamental change in federal fire management, particularly within the U.S. Forest Service,” Tim Ingalsbee, head of the advocacy group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said of the memos.
But a big part of the change he’d like to see is a reorientation toward putting more beneficial fire on the ground.
“We have to increase and facilitate the use of beneficial fire on the landscape,” he said, referring to practices like prescribed fire. “And there's nothing even hinting of that necessary change in either.”
Instead, he worries that the plans could lead to “further downsizing the wildland fire workforce and shrinking the budget for federal fire management.”
More than 2 million acres of roadless, wilderness area in Oregon could soon lose protections
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, and one of the environmental advocates on the flight, said he anticipates building roads will increase the chance that Oregon’s remote, hard to reach areas will burn.
"The vast majority, 90% or more of wildfires, happen alongside roads,” Ingalsbee said. “What they might gain from the possibility of ferrying in large convoys of firefighters and dozers and all that stuff, they're going to lose in terms of vastly more wildfire ignitions from careless motorists, campers, or arsonists."
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, and one of the environmental advocates on the flight, said he anticipates building roads will increase the chance that Oregon’s remote, hard to reach areas will burn.
"The vast majority, 90% or more of wildfires, happen alongside roads,” Ingalsbee said. “What they might gain from the possibility of ferrying in large convoys of firefighters and dozers and all that stuff, they're going to lose in terms of vastly more wildfire ignitions from careless motorists, campers, or arsonists."
Burgum rolls out plan for Interior-based wildfire service
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director at Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said Tuesday that Trump administration rhetoric suggests the key role that fire plays in land management isn’t being prioritized enough. “It’s retrograde, a throwback to talking about fire purely in terms of threat, risk, danger,” Ingalsbee said.
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director at Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said Tuesday that Trump administration rhetoric suggests the key role that fire plays in land management isn’t being prioritized enough. “It’s retrograde, a throwback to talking about fire purely in terms of threat, risk, danger,” Ingalsbee said.
At a Wildfire With a Notebook — and a Mask
I was wearing an N95 mask, but the firefighters around me were barefaced. One joked that they were all going to get cancer some day. Another teased his crewmate that he was a bad-luck charm because they always got “tear-gassed” while working together.
I recognized the same fatalism I’d heard from Joel and his friends.
Now, though, this way of thinking may be starting to change. After our articles were published, the Forest Service came under pressure from Congress to better protect firefighters.
I was wearing an N95 mask, but the firefighters around me were barefaced. One joked that they were all going to get cancer some day. Another teased his crewmate that he was a bad-luck charm because they always got “tear-gassed” while working together.
I recognized the same fatalism I’d heard from Joel and his friends.
Now, though, this way of thinking may be starting to change. After our articles were published, the Forest Service came under pressure from Congress to better protect firefighters.
From bandannas to N95s: It’s finally time for wildfire fighters to mask up
According to the Los Angeles Times, Timothy Ingalsbee said masks are unsuitable during strenuous operations on steep terrain when they clog or restrict breathing. “There are times when masks are unsuitable and firefighters overheat and they are uncomfortable. But there’s a lot of times when they’d be very useful in limiting their exposure. And maybe could save some lives.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that masks may be especially useful in base camps or during vehicle movement on dusty access roads. It said such selective use could meaningfully reduce cumulative exposure even if not applied in all field tasks.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Timothy Ingalsbee said masks are unsuitable during strenuous operations on steep terrain when they clog or restrict breathing. “There are times when masks are unsuitable and firefighters overheat and they are uncomfortable. But there’s a lot of times when they’d be very useful in limiting their exposure. And maybe could save some lives.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that masks may be especially useful in base camps or during vehicle movement on dusty access roads. It said such selective use could meaningfully reduce cumulative exposure even if not applied in all field tasks.