wildfire

Michael Conway highlights the challenges of passing legislation aimed at improving homeowners' insurance access.

For millennia, Indigenous peoples have intentionally set fires to care for the land. Colonization and fire exclusion largely put an end to those practices, though the tradition endured. Now, California tribes have opened the door to a new era of cultural burning - a potential model for the rest of the West.

Researchers say that during a wildfire, aspen groves in Colorado’s forests help slow the progress of the blaze. So should more mountain communities plant aspen groves on the outskirts of town?

A new bill co-sponsored by Sen. John Hickenlooper is designed to speed up wildfire prevention efforts across the country. But a few measures in the bill have some environmental groups concerned.

A 0.5% fee would be imposed under House Bill 1302 on every home insurance policy in Colorado, unless a house meets certain wildfire mitigation standards

The federal wildland firefighting force is currently split between five land management agencies – the Forest Service (under the U.S. Department of Agriculture), the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (under the Department of the Interior).

The hiring freeze, along with layoffs of U.S. Forest Service workers tasked with mitigation, could leave the state less prepared for the rapidly approaching peak wildfire months. Listen to "Morning Edition" host Michael Lyle, Jr. discuss this story with Colorado Sun editor Lance Benzel and then read The Colorado Sun story at the link below.

House Bill 1182 would also require insurers to give customers an opportunity to appeal assessments of a property’s wildfire risk, which can lead to increased costs and nonrenewals

Fire crews and equipment from around the Front Range are now in California to help with the wildfires. The state also sent a specially designed plane.

In 2022, Congress eased access for wildland firefighters to workers’ compensation for a number of serious diseases. But advocates are pushing for broader, more inclusive coverage for cancers affecting women.