John Wesley Powell, a geologist and early explorer of the Grand Canyon, described the West as a region of smoke and fire. He famously told of a fire he lit for warmth that took off and blazed from one mountain range to the next, eventually burning over a thousand square miles.

Next to water, fire is the defining element of the West, and one that westerners have long struggled to hold sway over. Lately, however, we have allowed our dominion over combustion to slip a bit. First, wildfires are becoming larger and more frequent at the very time that more of us are moving into places where they are most likely to occur. Second, our fascination with burning of fossil fuels is leading to climate change, which, in a darkly ironic twist, is increasing the size and severity of the wildfires we are aiming to control.

For the past few years I have been immersed in wildfire issues as editor of the website Advances in Fire Practice for the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center. Working with some of the leading thinkers, researchers, and land managers on wildfire topics has given me an in-depth appreciation of the role of fire on the land, and its connection to so many aspects of life in the West. I have written feature articles on cutting-edge fire science research projects, including wildfire behavior modelling, the links between climate change and wildfire patterns, and the social science of fire management. I have also developed research summaries, and created curriculum support features for fire science instructors. Here is a sample of some of the feature articles written for Advances in Fire Practice:

The Zaca Fire: Bridging Fire Science and Management

Blazing a Trail: A History of Longleaf Pine on Private Lands in the South

That Thing was Rolling: The Cavity Lake Fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Igniting Wildland Fire Use on the Gila National Forest

Bioenergy and Forest Restoration in the White Mountains

SPLATS, SPOTS, and the Future of Fuels Treatment

Trust Matters: Collaboration and Outreach in Fire Management