Climate

They keep water clean by capturing chemicals and soil before these particles enter waterways.

Forests also act like a filter.

They slowly release water as the snow melts in the spring and summer, providing sustenance during the hot and dry season.

Trees and soil absorb rainfall and melted snow, reducing the risk of extreme flooding.

Forests act like sponges.

Temperatures have heated up (but not too much.. at least typically) and our outdoor spaces are exploding with lots of color!

June in Central Oregon is a pretty magical time of year.

The wood fuel that supports the biomass boiler and the wood that supports the papermill are harvested from the forest as part of commercial thinning.

Even when perfect conditions occur, the state air quality agency must approve the burn, and smoke impacts must be monitored.

Preparation can take months or even years, with control features such as roads, trails and natural barriers mapped and reinforced.

In places like Prescott, the highest priority areas are those in or near the wildland-urban interface, where wildfires pose the greatest risk to homes and the entire community, as well as critical infrastructure, such as power lines, communication sites and recreation sites.

Downtown Prescott and the City of Prescott, home to over 47,000 residents, sit just north of these communities and the forest’s prescribed fires.

These communities are home to several thousand residents who enjoy the Prescott National Forest as their backyard.

The Prescott National Forest has made steady progress over the past 20 years with a significant uptick in the scale of prescribed fires.

Large wildfires like the 2017 Goodwin Fire are made worse by the buildup of undergrowth, also known as hazardous fuels.

These fires would later culminate on August 20, when hurricane-force winds swept through and fanned embers and low flames back to life.

In the summer of 1910, a series of wildfires swept through the national forests in Idaho, Montana and Washington.

Cory Carlson is onsite and ready to start his workday as a district fire management officer in the Chino Valley Ranger District on the Prescott National Forest in Prescott, Arizona.

The Forest Service and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) will jointly identify and execute large-scale forest management projects, initially focusing on approximately 200,000 acres in northwest Montana.

Woodsy Owl provides tips for a safe and environmentally friendly Fourth of July on national forests, emphasizing fire safety, responsible recreation, and Leave No Trace principles.