The Wildfire Reader: A Century of Failed Forest Policy

Wildfires are an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon that

have shaped North America’s landscapes since the dawn

of time. They are a force that we cannot really control,

and thus understanding, appreciating, and learning to

live with wildfire is ultimately our wisest public policy.

With more than 150 dramatic photographs, Wildfire: A

Century of Failed Forest Policy covers the topic of wildfire

from ecological, economic, and social/political perspectives

while also documenting how past forest policies

have hindered natural processes, creating a tinderbox of

problems that we are faced with today.

More than 25 leading thinkers in the field of fire ecology

provide in-depth analyses, critiques, and compelling

solutions for how we live with fire in our society. Using

examples such as the epic Yellowstone fires of 1988, the

ever-present southern California fires, and the

Northwest’s Biscuit Fire of 2002, the book examines the

ecology of these landscapes and the policies and practices

that affected them and continue to affect them, such

as fire suppression, prescribed burns, salvage logging,

and land-use planning. Overall, the book aims to promote

the restoration of fire to the landscape and to

encourage its natural behavior so it can resume its role as

a major ecological process.