Wildfire forecast, part 1: The heat is on Calls to consolidate Forest Service, Interior firefighters stalled in 2025, but may revive as 2026 weather forecasts heat up.

Late-March big-picture🔥review from Rob Cheney, from the Greater Yellowstone: #MTFire montanafreepress.org/2026/03/24/t...

Record snow drought in Western US raises concern for water shortages and wildfires Except for California, most Western states are experiencing the worst snow drought in decades not because of dry conditions but really warm temperatures that change snow to rain

ICYMI: “Record snow drought in Western US raises concern for water shortages and wildfires” abcnews.com/US/wireStory... - ABC News

#CAFire #CAwx #COFire #COwx #Climate #Drought #Environment #Hydrology #IDFire #IDwx #MTFire #MTwx #ORFire #SnowDrought #UTFire #UTwx #Wildfires

Modeling finds old-growth wildfire risk highest where low-severity fires once burned A new analysis shows that the Pacific Northwest's mature and old-growth forests are most at risk of severe wildfire in areas that historically burned frequently at lower severity. The study by scienti...

“Modeling finds old-growth wildfire risk highest where low-severity fires once burned” phys.org/news/2026-02... - @sciencex.bsky.social

#BCWildfire #Forests #Idaho #MTFire #PacificNorthwest #PNW #WashingtonState #Wildfires

Not to mention WUI smoke. “It was once thought that smoke from burning trees was basically benign…in 1988, thousands of firefighters developed breathing problems as they fought back a monthslong fire in Yellowstone NP…the crews were breathing in a mix of carcinogens and other ☢️ chemicals.” #MTFire

Sunday 🔥 update:
New maps on Deer Fire burning up Pattee Creek in Missoula. No infrared flight data to show detailed size estimates, but this ops map estimates it's at 101 acres. Black dots are buildings. Key shows no containment. #mtfire #mtnews

America’s Coming Smoke Epidemic The research on what smoke does to a body is just beginning.

Seeley Lake, 2017: “Right after the (Rice Ridge Fire), about 10% of the cohort had lung function…below the lower limit of normal. By the 1-year mark, about 46% did. At the 2-year mark, most of those people still had abnormally poor lung function.” #MTFire #MTSmoke www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...

Google Wants to Get Better at Spotting Wildfires From Space — WIRED A partnership with the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance and satellite manufacturer Muon Space is giving Google a better shot at tracking wildfires—and using AI to process all the data being collected.

“Even if you assume the best possible motive, that this is truly in the public interest…there's then the question of, OK, are we actually going to have access to this data in the long run, or is this going to be the equivalent of a 30-day free trial?” #MTFire #AI apple.news/AGxE8u3qGRPq...

Trump moves to merge wildland firefighting into single force, despite ex-officials warning of chaos The executive order comes after former federal officials warned that such a consolidation could be costly and increase the risk of catastrophic blazes.

Sheehy’s aerial firefighting company relies on fed. contracts.

“A prior proposal to merge the Forest Service and Interior to improve firefighting was determined to have significant drawbacks by the Congressional Research Service in a 2008 report.” #MTFire #MTPol montanafreepress.org/2025/06/13/t...

California plan to ban most plants within 5 feet of homes for wildfire safety overlooks some important truths about flammability Hedges and trees may actually reduce home exposure to radiant heat and flying embers, but they must be well maintained. Two scientists who study how plants burn explain.

Modeling living plants +🔥is hard. In fact, well-watered 🌱&🌳 in Zone 0 may *help*: “Up to the point that they actually burn, green, well-maintained plants can slow the spread of a fire by serving as “heat sinks,” absorbing energy and even blocking embers.” #MTFire theconversation.com/california-p....

Only one Federal land management agency has substantially increased prescribed fire use – Wildfire Today

More details on one of the papers referenced in the 1st article, speaking to where, by whom, why and how prescribed and cultural burning of forests in the U.S. HAS increased. #MTFire wildfiretoday.com/only-one-fed...

Pre-colonial frequency RxFire needed to save Western forests, study confirms In 1993, District Manager John Koehler was in the midst of a shift in popular fire management practices. In his position with the Florida Forest Service (then the Division of Forestry) he’d n…

The parallel between our cultural-&-Rx🔥 deficit and risks to homes, towns & infrastructure would be tightening even without nihilistic federal U.S. budget ✂️.

Look up the # of resident &🔥-fighter deaths in Peshtigo (1871) & The Great Burn (1910). #MTFire #Climate wildfiretoday.com/pre-colonial...

Plan “go” bags, escape routes & 💨-coping NOW:

The Lolo NF of WC MT: fire danger is “high;”

Extreme🔥 risk in BC, NT, AB, SK, MB, ON & QC means 🇨🇦 won’t have resources to spare;

Large U.S. 🔥 might lack a dedicated incident meteorologist due to NWS ✂️;

There are too few USFS🔥staff.

#MTFire #MTNews

Good clean fun at the Fire Lab. Surely one of those DOGE, Project 2025 or Dump-appointed miscreants would die of envy watching public servants light stuff on 🔥; they’d clamber to fully fund & rename the joint “Porno for Pyros.” Or they’d beg Skum to buy it and hire them. #MTFire #MTUSFS

Three USFS research stations are in MT. “The Budget does not request new funding for Forest and Rangeland Research…” = their budgets become $0.

See Jim’s full 🧵for a quick intro to the Forest Service’s century+ of research, which flies well below people’s radars. #MTFire #MTNews #MTPol #MTUSFS

I quoted @jimwhittington.bsky.social in the prior post - #2: “Stings are common. Firefighters wear yellow shirts to have visibility to aircraft, digging line often upsets nests, & bees & other angry stinging insects are drawn to the shirts. If a crew has no epi pens, they aren't functional.” #MTFire

We’re trading coordinated expertise, professionalism, research & culture in wildland🔥fighting for MT Sen. Sheehy’s vision:

“What if the fire’s incident commander is from corporate and has the Secretary and OMB Chief on speed dial? Who decides which values at risk have the highest priority?” #MTFire

NWS offices with no meteorologist-in-charge:

“It’s like driving down the road with bald tires. You might get 1,000 miles. You might get 10 miles. To some extent, you don’t know. You’re just engaging in a risky behavior.”

W. MT & N. Central ID: That’s us now, sez this.🔥💨🥶

#MTNews #MTPol #MTFire

Field techs, data-crunchers, researchers, fire techs fired: “Losing people in these roles is like firing all primary care doctors and leaving only EMTs… As many people know from emergency room bills, preventing emergencies is less costly than dealing with the damage later.“ #MTFire #USFS #MTNews

Draft National Wildfire Plan Under White House Consideration Returns Firefighting ‘to the 1930s,’ Experts Say On the cusp of wildfire season, a new proposal recommends consolidating all federal firefighting resources, calls for immediate fire suppression.

There’ll be too few wildland🔥fighters for the ‘25 season. “Avey estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 staff have left the Forest Service as of April.” (Fed. regs 🚫rehiring red-carded, recently-fired staff.) By @rchaney.bsky.social.

Call Sen. Sheehy. #MTFire #MTNews

mountainjournal.org/white-house-...

Western lawmakers aim to confront wildfire crisis through joint legislation 1,244 wildfires were reported in Utah in 2024, up 54% from 2023.

UNITED STATES: “A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the West is introducing a bill to combat "catastrophic" wildfires and overhaul forest management.” www.axios.com/local/salt-l... - Axios Salt Lake City

#CAFire #COFire #MTFire #uspoli #UTFire #Wildfires

(Rebuilt homes ready for next Front Range wind event? 😬)

“From the late 1980s to the mid-‘90s, insurers paid 70 cents in claims for every 💵 they received in premiums. Two years after the McKinsey makeover in 1997, the payout had fallen to 60.2 cents. By ‘06, the ratio had dropped to 53 …” #MTFire

Wildfire mitigation bill described as step to deal with climate change Wildfire mitigation bill described as good first step to deal with climate change, supported in House with 98 yes votes.

“Wildfire mitigation bill described as good first step to deal with climate change in Montana” dailymontanan.com/2025/03/06/w... - @dailymontanan.com

#ClimateChange #Montana #MTFire #Wildfires

University of Montana studies highlight wildfire impact on reforestation MONTANA - Two recent studies from the University of Montana reveal that increasing wildfires and rising temperatures in the western U.S. are challenging the capacity for reforestation.

“University of Montana studies highlight wildfire impact on reforestation” www.montanarightnow.com/missoula/uni... - Non Stop Local Montana

#Forestry #MTFire #Wildfire #Wildfires

Flathead Electric Cooperative receives $2.6M+ grant to mitigate wildfire risks A $2.6 million federal grant has been awarded to Flathead Electric Cooperative to help reduce wildfire danger in the Essex area.

MONTANA: “ESSEX — A $2.6 million federal grant has been awarded to Flathead Electric Cooperative to help reduce wildfire danger near Glacier National Park.” www.kpax.com/news/local-n... - KPAX

#MTFire #MTwx

Power down of last resort On July 22, roughly 7.5% of NorthWestern Energy’s Montana customers received a message from the utility company about a potential power shutoff. “Our wildfire specialists have identified your propert...

ICYMI: On July 22, roughly 7.5% of NorthWestern Energy’s #Montana customers received a message from the utility company about a potential power shutoff. montanafreepress.org/2024/08/29/n... - Montana Free Press

#MTFire #Wildfire

MTN speaks with crews fighting Horse Gulch Fire With almost 500 personnel members on the Horse Gulch Fire, crews are doing everything they can to bring the fire under containment.

HELENA, MONTANA — With almost 500 personnel members on the #HorseGulchFire, crews are doing everything they can to bring the fire under containment. www.ktvh.com/news/mtn-spe... - KTVH

#MTFire

Horse Gulch wildfire near Helena grows to 10,849 acres; dry fuels, weather factors in spread The National Weather Service issued a fire weather watch Friday morning and said it will remain in effect from Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening.

MONTANA: Horse Gulch wildfire near #Helena grows to 10,849 acres; dry fuels, weather factors in spread: helenair.com/news/local/w... - Helena Independent Record

#HorseGulchFire #MTFire

Horse Gulch wildfire near Helena grows to 10,849 acres; dry fuels, weather factors in spread The National Weather Service issued a fire weather watch Friday morning and said it will remain in effect from Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening.

MONTANA: The #HorseGulchfire northeast of #Helena has now hit 10,849 acres, according to an overnight flight that mapped the blaze now entering its fourth day, officials said. There is 0% containment. helenair.com/resources/wi... - Helena Independent Record

#MTFire