Megafires, Land Use, and Climate Change

Wildfires are again burning hundreds of thousands of acres in Utah and Colorado, driven by a dry winter, high winds, and heat. Utah's governor has called it the most destructive fire in state history, and Colorado's governor has declared a disaster and called in the National Guard. This fits a pattern going back to the mid-1980s: bigger, more destructive wildfires across the West, driven by climate change, decades of fire suppression that let vegetation build up, and more homes built near wildland areas.

For homeowners in fire-prone areas, the main defenses are reducing the vegetation that fuels fires near buildings and using fire-resistant building materials and design. Crews use controlled burns and clearing of small trees and brush (fuel that can carry flame up into tree canopies) to cut fire risk, though this costs money and has to be repeated as plants regrow. Some tribes, including the Yurok and Karuk, have worked with the Forest Service on prescribed burning based on long-standing indigenous fire management practices.

There's also a policy angle that could affect future wildfire risk: the Forest Service is closing most of its research stations and consolidating research in Fort Collins, Colorado, and last year it ended funding for an aerial survey that tracked forest die-off from insects, disease, and drought in California. Both moves reduce the information available for planning fuel reduction and predicting fire behavior. If you live in a wildfire-prone area, local agencies' preparedness guidance and evacuation planning remain the most direct resource for protecting your home this season.