US Department of Agriculture
Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment, overseeing the US Forest Service; former Executive Director of Colorado's Department of Natural Resources
PROFILE
Harris Sherman
Guest
FROM Harris Sherman
Which Way, L.A.?
Wildfires Rage across the West In the suburbs of Colorado Springs, residents are discovering what happens when a forest fire comes to town. Some cars are nothing but charred metal and some homes are burned to the ground, while, in the same neighborhood, other houses have not been touched. President Obama calls the Waldo Fire a "major disaster," while blazes rage in four other states as well. The federal government will pay for most of the fire-fighting. Critics say that’s one reason local governments allow housing developments too close to forests that are increasingly likely to burn.
To the Point
Forest Fires and Federal Money The worst fire in Colorado history is only halfway contained, and in the suburbs of Colorado Springs, residents and former residents are discovering what happens when a forest fire comes to town. Some cars are nothing but charred metal and some homes are burned to the ground, while, in the same neighborhood, other houses have not been touched. Fires are also raging in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and South Dakota. Climate change is drying out the forests, creating fuel for fires expected to increase individual property loss, human misery and federal taxes. Studies show that local government agencies allow development near dense forests, knowing that the cost of fire-fighting will be covered by Washington. We update the current outbreaks and ask, is it politics that's preventing prudent planning?
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The 805
Following three tragedies: two fires and a mass shooting in Ventura On the heels of a deadly mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, two blazes in the area are forcing more than 100,000 residents in Ventura and L.A. Counties to evacuate their homes.