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Wildland Fire
Across the Nation, many fire-adapted forests have become overgrown and unhealthy. Simply put, there is too much fuel in too many of our forests. In 2006, approximately 83,000 fires burned nearly 9 million acres in the United States--a record setting number.
Instead of open stands of healthy trees, many forests are now thickets of small-diameter trees that are susceptible to drought, disease, and insects. This weakened vegetation fuels large, dangerous wildfires. This situation took decades to develop and won't be fixed overnight. However, strides are being made to safely bring ‘prescribed’ fires and mechanical thinning into the overcrowded forests to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildland fires.
Current projects related to wildland fire
Other resources and publications:
US Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management
Encyclopedia of Environmental Threats
National Interagency Fire Center - national fire news
MODIS Active Fire Mapping Program
Firewise - useful tips for homeowners
National database of state and local wildfire hazard mitigation programs
Healthy Forests and Rangelends initiative
Science to Support National Fire and Fuels Strategy
