The Residents Setting California on Fire in Order to Save It


Fire Forward trains Californians to conduct controlled burns, setting fires to make future wildfires less destructive. With state and federal resources skewed heavily toward suppression of wildfires, the prevention-minded approach of controlled burns – informed by forest management science and inspired by ancient Native American practices – depends on informing and training more people to conduct controlled burns independent of government. Fire Forward's scale makes it more of a demonstration project than an effective response to the overall problem, but it grew during 2020's historic wildfires.

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