If you read various news outlets, they are always saying (as are our insurance companies) that wildfires will get worse due to climate change. Meanwhile the USG is spending beaucoup bucks on new technologies (e.g early detection, drones, etc.), prescribed fire, fuel treatment, PODs and so on. The technologies are likely to trickle down to those of us away from federal lands. I think it would be more honest to say “the climate is changing, and we’re working hard on managing fire better, so we don’t know if the end result will ultimately be more, less or the same.
What I’ve noticed, though, from these kinds of stories and academic studies, is that the role of fire suppression folks is generally not considered. It’s not like hurricanes or floods.. there are not hurricane stoppers or flood stoppers, yes there are various long-term strategies to reduce damage, but not people who know a lot about how it works in the thick of things (oh, and with questionable pay).
Thanks to a colleague who shared this excellent story map on the Moose Fire! Especially for you TSW readers who aren’t familiar with suppression efforts, or those for whom it’s been awhile, I point you to the videos of the Fire Management Officer, the Fire Behavior Analyst, the Incident Commander and their roles and how they went about dealing with the fire; and the concerns and roles of those in the community .
A propaganda piece for logging at the end.