In this editorial, Frank Carroll rejects hands-off forest policy and argues that active management is essential to protecting national forests, rural communities, and public resources. Framed as a response to preservationist wildfire arguments, the article makes the case for thinning, timber harvest, prescribed fire, and multiple-use stewardship.

This article by Chuck Sheley traces the origins of smokejumping in the United States, beginning with the 1939 experimental program and the first operational bases in 1940. It highlights the early jumpers, trainers, and organizers who proved firefighters could parachute safely into rugged terrain and helped establish the smokejumper program’s foundation.

Dana Tibbitts reports on the new partnership between the National Wildfire Alliance and the Rogue Siskiyou Regional Wildfire Training Center (RSR), a partnership focused on building a year‑round wildfire workforce, rapid response capacity, and long‑term forest and community resilience across the American West.

In this Evergreen Magazine interview, Jim Petersen talks with retired Forest Service leader Phil Aune about his career and his view that centralized planning, policy shifts, and managed wildfire have undermined active forest management. He argues that rebuilding the Forest Service requires stronger leadership, measurable outcomes, and decisions moved closer to the ground.

Rachel Lee Hall is a forest photographer and educator documenting forest stress, thinning, and prescribed fire in Southern Oregon’s Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest. Her work with Forest Under Stress highlights how filtered sunlight, open canopies and Active Forest Management restore respiration, soil moisture, and resilience while reducing catastrophic crown fire risk.

North Umpqua River Wildfires, 2002–2022: Risks and Recommendations by Dr. Bob Zybach examines the causes and impacts of catastrophic wildfire in the North Umpqua basin following the 2020 Labor Day Fires. The report analyzes fuel conditions, prior fire effects, and landscape management factors contributing to fire behavior, and offers recommendations aimed at reducing future wildfire risk to communities, infrastructure, and forest ecosystems.

A discovered 1984 recording sparks a powerful reflection by Dana Tibbitts‍ ‍on America’s long conflict over forests and public lands. This article argues that today’s megafires, damaged watersheds, and collapsing forest health are the visible results of failed policy — and a call to restore rapid response, accountability, and measurable stewardship.

In this November 2024 statement, Phil Aune argues that post-fire salvage, prompt reforestation, and fuel management are essential to restoring forests in Oregon, Washington, and California. Drawing on decades of Forest Service, research, and industry experience, he warns that failing to act will leave future generations with brush fields, dead timber, and declining forest productivity.

In this 2016 article, Bruce Courtright explores the pressures reshaping the U.S. Forest Service, from rising wildfire costs and declining public confidence to collaboration, mission drift, and internal reorganization. He argues that the agency can still regain credibility and effectiveness, but only through clearer leadership, stronger public engagement, and a renewed focus on measurable land stewardship