wildland urban interface News

Feds Announce Another $100M for Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program

The federal government announced that additional $100 million of Inflation Reduction Act funding will be allocated toward 21 high-risk landscapes the Agriculture Department has identified as priorities. The total will include $400 million in funds from the Inflation Reduction Act …

Billions are Being Spent to Turn the Tide on the US West’s Wildfires. It Won’t Be Enough

DOWNIEVILLE, Calif. (AP) – Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees and undergrowth. …

Oregon’s Wildfire Risk Map Emerges as New Climate Flashpoint

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A new map in Oregon that rated the wildfire risk of every tax lot in the state — labeling nearly 80,000 structures as high-risk — generated so much pushback from angry homeowners that officials abruptly retracted …

Viewpoint: Living With Fire

Hundreds of thousands of Californians have been forced to flee their homes. Millions have endured power outages. Fff could reach billions of dollars. It could have been worse: So far not a single person has died, unlike last year, the …

Washington Unveils Decade-Long Plan to Mitigate, Respond to Wildfire

The state is months away from wildfire season, but Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has proposed a plan to strengthen the ways that Washington can prevent and respond to wildfires. Franz released the 10-year plan last week as part of …

California Firefighter Says State Should Consider Home Ban in Fire-Prone Areas

California’s increasingly deadly and destructive wildfires have become so unpredictable that government officials should consider banning home construction in vulnerable areas, the state’s top firefighter says. Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Ken Pimlott will leave his job Friday …

Half of Colorado Population Faces Wildfire Risk

The number of Coloradans whose homes are at risk from wildfires soared 45 percent in five years, reflecting the state’s booming population and changing uses of agricultural land, state officials said Monday. The Colorado State Forest Service said 2.9 million …

Report: Homes in Fire-Prone Areas Hike Missoula Firefighting Costs

Rapid population growth and the desire to live near forests means new housing in western Montana is being built in wildfire-prone areas, increasing taxpayer-funded fire suppression liabilities and putting lives and property in danger, according to a new study. Half …

Jury Holds Nevada Liable for 2017 Wildfire That Destroyed Homes

A jury has found the Nevada Division of Forestry liable for the loss of 23 homes and 17 other buildings in a 2016 wildfire after strong winds re-ignited a prescribed burn. The verdict Friday set the stage for future court …

Urban Sprawl, Climate Change Raise Wildfire Risk

A fire that started in a rural community in Northern California underscored a new reality in the state when days later it suddenly roared through neighborhoods on the edge of the city of Redding: Urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to …