What’s happening in our forest is serious. The buildup of fuels, overgrowth of shrubs, and tree stands weakened by disease and expansion of fire-intolerant trees like fir are creating a powder keg. This puts bordering communities at risk of mega-fires. Such high-severity fires disrupt businesses, forest access, and daily life. They damage forest ecosystems far into the future. They can threaten the safety of residents, visitors, and firefighters. They’re costly.