Shooting Fire’s ‘Natural Force’
Deadly fires that swept Tennessee are harbingers of a new normal for these massive burns, driven by drought and climate factors to become a year-round, multi-region phenomenon. Our in-depth backgrounder offers dozens of resources, plus tips and ideas for improving your wildfire coverage.
"The death toll from wildfires blazing in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee rose to seven on Wednesday even as drenching rains helped firefighters suppress flames that have left whole neighborhoods in ruins."
"Local officials said on Tuesday that 'the worst is over' for two small Tennessee resort towns in the Great Smoky Mountains where wildfires killed three people, destroyed or damaged more than 100 homes, forced thousands to flee and threatened country music star Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood."
Sarah Palin for Interior secretary? Her name is among those being mentioned for top environment and energy posts in the incoming Trump administration. To help you cover the shaping of the new cabinet, the latest TipSheet runs down better-known and lesser-known candidates being floated for EPA, Interior, Energy and Agriculture department chiefs.
"Authorities say 2,500 firefighters and other personnel are making progress on containing some of the biggest wildfires in western North Carolina, and rain could help in the coming days."
The Obama administration has already used the century-old Antiquities Act to protect public lands more often than any president perhaps since FDR. Will the outgoing White House make additional controversial last-minute designations? Here are at least five possible locales to watch, in our newest TipSheet. Image: © Clipart.com
"Evacuations are now taking place in five North Carolina mountain counties as nearly 20 wildfires totaling more than 10,000 acres continue to spread."
"There's a seductive idea, currently being road-tested, for how to stop the world's forests from disappearing. It relies on big food companies."