Region Archives: US West

Contrary to what people might think, North American forests are burning less, not more, according to new data. A study published in Nature Communications reveals how this trend may be causing more aggressive fires… Using a fire scar dataset known as the North American Tree-Ring Fire Scar Network, which originated from work done at the University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, researchers were able to compile a clearer picture of historical fire geography and frequency. This allowed them to compare recent seemingly extreme wildfire events – such as the California August Complex Fire and the Arizona Bighorn Fire of 2020 – with events from the past… The fire scar data used in the study was collected from more than 1,800 sites across North America, spanning diverse forest types.

A new Colorado State University study of the interior U.S. West has found that tree ranges are generally contracting in response to climate change but not expanding into cooler, wetter climates – suggesting that forests are not regenerating fast enough to keep pace with climate change, wildfire, insects and disease. As the climate becomes too warm for trees in certain places, tree ranges have been expected to shift toward more ideal conditions. The study analyzed national forest inventory data for more than 25,000 plots in the U.S. West, excluding coastal states, and found that trees were not regenerating in the hottest portions of their ranges – an expected outcome. More surprising to the researchers was that most of the 15 common tree species studied were not gaining any ground in areas where conditions were more favourable, indicating that most tree species likely will not be able to move to more accommodating climates without assistance.

LINCOLN, Nebraska — The Arbor Day Foundation is investing in technology to help trees grow faster. This investment aims to draw millions of tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the next decade, while restoring microbial biodiversity to thousands of acres of forests. Arbor Day’s Impact Fund … is supporting Funga PBC. The startup utilizes DNA sequencing and advanced data analysis to identify growth-promoting, native fungal communities that used to be present and have been degraded over time by land management practices and other factors. Funga then inoculates seedlings with these fungal communities at the nursery, so that these fungi will be established on the tree’s roots at the time of planting. Early results have shown that Funga’s inoculants can increase survival rates and boost tree growth by an average of 30%. This process not only restores and protects belowground biodiversity, but it also enables forests to pull more carbon out of the atmosphere.

The Trump administration has halted funding for federal programs to reduce wildfire risk in western U.S. states and has frozen hiring of seasonal firefighters as part of broad cuts to government spending, according to organizations impacted by the moves. The reduction in resources for wildfire prevention after devastating blazes in Los Angeles …with some expecting losses as high as $35 billion. The Oregon-based non-profit Lomakatsi Restoration Project said its contracts with the federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to reduce hazardous fuels in Oregon, California and Idaho, have been frozen. …The American Loggers Council, a logging industry group, said the funding freeze has also stopped work under the $20 million Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance program, which pays for removing dead wood from forests …calling on the administration to exempt forest management programs from the suspension in federal funding.

PORTLAND, Oregon— President Donald Trump’s administration is holding up money for wildfire mitigation projects funded through legislation championed by his Democratic predecessor, threatening efforts to prevent catastrophic blazes like the ones that recently ripped through Southern California. The decision undermines Trump’s repeated insistence that communities need to clear combustible materials like fallen branches and undergrowth — “it’s called management of the floor,” he said while visiting Los Angeles last month — to guard against wildfires. Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, said via email that mitigation work is “currently undergoing review to ensure consistency” with Trump’s executive orders. The scrutiny is being applied only to projects using money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, two centerpieces of former President Joe Biden’s administration. They included roughly $3 billion for wildfire mitigation efforts, often known as hazardous fuels reduction programs.

The U.S. Forest Service has completed assessment reports on over 20 topics that will inform how the Tongass National Forest will be managed in decades to come. The last comprehensive plan for the Tongass was done in 1997. There have been a few amendments since then, but the plan is still missing a lot about the way the forest is today. Barb Miranda is a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service. “Our economic fabric has shifted from timber to tourism,” she said. “The reason why we are doing a plan is not just because we’re required to, but everything’s changed in the last 25 years.” The assessments are a comprehensive look at what the federal agency knows about the Tongass now and will help inform the new plan. They cover timber, energy and minerals to subsistence and the status and uses of the land. Nearly all assessments mention climate change as a future challenge.

With a name like the “Fix Our Forests Act,” it should be a good thing for forests, wildlife, and the environment, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case with H.R. 471, aka the Fix Our Forests Act. A more accurate name for this legislation would be the “Clearcut Our Public Lands Act.” Proponents of the bill say it will reduce wildfire risk. A closer look at the actual text shows that it would significantly erode bedrock environmental protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and National Environmental Policy Act, remove science from land management decisions, eliminate public oversight across millions of acres of public lands, and may even make wildfires worse. …More logging means more roadbuilding in our forests which spreads flammable weeds, disrupts sensitive soils, fragments wildlife habitat, causes more landslides and sedimentation of rivers and drinking water sources, and is linked to an increase in human-caused wildfires.