According to data from the U.S. National Park Service, nearly 9 out of 10 wildfires are caused by humans. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association reports that wildfires caused an estimated $98.9 billion in damage from 2017-2023, which is over 8 times more than the $12 billion in damages from 2010-2016. Those statistics are chilling. There are various reasons for the significant increase in wildfire activity since 2017, often cited as increased drought and soaring temperatures combined with high winds. There is a silver lining. Since most wildfires are the result of human behavior, we are better poised to make a positive difference, no matter the weather! This wildfire season, we have collected some simple wildfire prevention tips you can implement today to help prevent these devastating events.
Whether you’ve watched the clips, read the articles or stepped outside into a haze of well-traveled smoke, you can’t miss the historic wildfires burning in Western Canada. And if you’ve tuned in to news media lately, you may have also heard of Tim Arrowsmith.
Arrowsmith is the owner/founder of the Red Bluff, CA company “Western Grazers”. Their “grazers” are goats, which happily eat brush and other wildfire fuels. Lately, goat herding has been a hot topic around California—leading some to believe that, unlike the threat of wildfires, Tim and his fellow goat herders might be diminishing in the coming months.
Arrowsmith is the owner/founder of the Red Bluff, CA company “Western Grazers”. Their “grazers” are goats, which happily eat brush and other wildfire fuels. Lately, goat herding has been a hot topic around California—leading some to believe that, unlike the threat of wildfires, Tim and his fellow goat herders might be diminishing in the coming months.
Tod Sudmeier is a retired firefighter and photojournalist from Redlands, California specializing in fire and emergency service photography. His photos have appeared in several publications including The Firemen’s Grapevine, Southern California Fire Journal, 911 Magazine, and Wildland Firefighter. His work has also been used as part of San Bernardino County Fire’s Annual Report and many training presentations. We spoke with Tod about his passion and how he is able to bring fire scenes to life through his photography!
Did you know, forests and woodlands cover almost a third of the Earth's land, including over 700 million acres in the United States alone? That’s about the same size as 529 million football fields!