Arizona conservation groups and sportsmen alike say they re pleased the Bureau of Land Management will now recognize conservation as an integral part of public lands management. The agency s new rule puts protecting the environment on par with other land-use priorities. Scott Garlid, executive director of the Arizona Wildlife Federation, said historically the BLM has done what he termed a "pretty good job," not only managing about 12 million acres of public lands in Arizona, but also protecting natural resources. .
State and federal agencies are collaborating to increase the use of prescribed fires in the Northwest. Prescribed fire is the controlled use of burns to minimize the larger risks of wildfires and smoke. It is seen as an increasingly important strategy as wildfire seasons pose greater threats to the Northwest. .
A new study in the journal Nature Communications by Montana researchers said suppressing small wildfires is leading to larger, more intense and damaging blazes. According to the U.S. Forest Service, about 98% of wildfires are fully suppressed before they grow to 100 acres; most of them within 72 hours. .
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has awarded $3.1 million for 13 projects to reduce wildfire risk to communities and improve forest health. The funding money is part of the $15 million Montana Forest Action Plan, which takes a big-picture approach to reducing the risk of wildfires. Wyatt Frampton, deputy division administrator of forestry and trust lands for the Montana Department of Natural Resources, said the money will be used to foster fire-management cooperation between state and private landowners across 3,200 acres of forest. .
Notwithstanding the increasing size and severity of wildfires over the past decade, certain plaintiff groups have sought to constrain the government’s response to wildfires. Brownstein.