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Prescribed fires and mechanical thinning efforts are increasingly common land management tools intended to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. But research into their long term effectiveness is somewhat limited. A recent study looked at the effects of such interventions over more than 20 years on a dry, low-elevation research forest in Montana, and found that the combination of thinning and burning was the most likely to reduce fire risk.
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Weather is one of the most important and dynamic factors at play on wildfires, and it is the job of incident meteorologists to provide up to date forecasts so that the crews and managers can stay safe and accomplish their management goals. This week these meteorologists and trainees from across the country are in Boise for a weeklong training to get ready for the upcoming season, which is already off to a rollicking start with the grass fires in Texas.
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New research shows that “beaver-modified riverscapes” are very resilient to the effects of large wildfires. After burns, the refuge they provide to flora and fauna can also aid in post-fire recovery. That’s why the researchers involved argue that beavers “can be part of a comprehensive fire-mitigation strategy.”
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It made national headlines in October 2022 when Forest Service burn boss Ricky Snodgrass was arrested while overseeing a prescribed fire in rural Oregon. Now, a year and a half later, Snodgrass has been indicted on a misdemeanor reckless burning charge. The union he’s a member of is hopeful that he won’t be found guilty, but a representative says the case has still had impacts.
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2023 was a strange fire season. It was both the slowest in the US in a quarter century, but also saw one of the deadliest blazes in the country’s history in Hawaii. Unprecedented wildfires in Canada also blanketed much of America in smoke for weeks.
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In recent years, there have been a number of wildfires that resulted in the loss of numerous structures, and in some cases many lives. A new paper argues that thinking about these incidents as “wildfires that involved houses” has a lot of counterproductive policy implications.
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While many aren’t aware of the risks, flooding is a major concern in the wake of wildfires. But because most homeowners insurance policies don’t cover flood damage, residents near recent burns can be vulnerable to major, uncovered losses.
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For now a third time, Congress has extended temporary pay increases for federal wildland firefighters with a continuing resolution. This time they go through just early March.
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Laura Daniel-Davis, the acting deputy secretary of the Interior Department, made the announcement at NIFC in Boise.
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New research shows that wildfires can leave behind concerning levels of the carcinogenic chemicals known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). But researchers also looked at ways that homeowners can clean their properties after wildfires to substantially reduce the risk presented by PAHs.