This is Jim Petersen’s 3rd of four 10-year Evergreen reports on forests and forestry in Indian Country. This publication examines how tribal forestry blends traditional knowledge, long-term stewardship, and practical land management to care for forests across Indian Country. Drawing from the IFMAT III assessment and voices from tribal leaders, foresters, and researchers, it highlights tribal forestry as a strong model for restoring forest health, reducing wildfire risk, supporting rural economies, and strengthening the connection between land, culture, and community.

Jim Petersen talks about the nation’s wildfire and forest health crisis as an ongoing emergency driven by overcrowded federal forests, rising tree mortality, and decades of blocked management. It calls for a return to active, science-based restoration and points to traditional tribal forestry practices as a practical model for reducing fire risk, improving forest resilience, and protecting communities.

Jim Petersen & Julia Petersen: For years, westerners reached for a blunt comparison: breathing heavy wildfire smoke felt like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. The science has since caught up — and the reality is worse. Wildfire smoke is a complex chemical mix of PM2.5, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and nitrogen oxides that crosses state lines, floods cities, and fills emergency rooms. The flames may burn in remote forests, but smoke closes the distance. This is no longer the West's problem to endure quietly. It is the country's.