September 14, 2020 — By Joan Meiners — If you’ve spent any time in the west this summer, you’ve seen the skies fill with smoke from wildfires, prompting thousands of firefighters to be called to the front lines … More
Ground Truth
All California National Forests closed due to fire risk
September 10, 2020 — By Mary Forgione, Christopher Reynolds — With California menaced by fires and shrouded in smoke, state and federal officials have now closed 30 state parks, Highway 1 south of Big Sur and all of … More
Stewardship pact gives Wyoming more say on national forests
September 3, 2020 — By Angus M. Thuermer Jr. — Gov. Mark Gordon signed an agreement Aug. 25 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that gives the state more say in “active management” of national forests in Wyoming … More
Forest Service Authorizes One of Largest Timber Sales in Wyoming History
August 14, 2020 — “The Forest Service’s decision today authorizes one of the largest timber sales in Wyoming’s history by allowing timber cutting and other actions on up to 288,000 acres of the Medicine Bow National Forest over … More
One Trillion Trees
July 31, 2020 — In February 2019, ecologist Thomas Crowther declared that planting 1.2 trillion trees would cancel out the last 10 years of carbon dioxide emissions and help mitigate climate change. Crowther based his statement on the … More
Retardant use spikes as crews fight blazes — and COVID-19
July 22, 2020 — By Marc Heller — This wildfire season could be a banner year for chemical fire retardants. The COVID-19 pandemic is part of the reason. With the Forest Service under pressure to stop wildfires before … More
New Forest Service Rules Aim to Prevent Wildfires Sparked by Power Lines
July 15, 2020 — By Monica Samayoa — The U.S. Forest Service is adopting a new rule meant to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires on public lands like California’s deadly, destructive 2018 Camp Fire. The Forest Service’s new … More
Hundreds of comments submitted over Holy Cross Wilderness water export proposal
July 9, 2020 — By Jerd Smith — Forty years after the Holy Cross Wilderness Area was created, an early effort to explore tapping its water supplies has generated more than 500 comments to the U.S. Forest Service. … More
Relict Dace Endangered Species Act Decision Expected by End of September
July 2, 2020 — By Scott King Although it’s small in size, Nevada’s relict dace has become a big name in recent conservation efforts, as a petition and a lawsuit have been put forth to protect the fish … More
Amid Widespread Opposition to California Logging Project, Forest Service Extends Comment Deadline
June 29, 2020 — By Rebecca August — The Forest Service has extended the deadline, from June 30 to August 14, for the public to comment on its proposal to cut down trees and chaparral across 755 acres … More