Forests

"Researchers say continued home building in high-risk wildfire areas threatens lives and makes big blazes more likely."

"A majority of Brazilian Catholics believe global warming is a scientific fact and preservation of the Amazon rainforest is vital to reduce the effects of climate change, contrary to the view of Brazil’s right-wing government, a poll showed on Monday."

"A federal judge ordered a preliminary injunction Monday halting the sale of nearly 1,200 acres of old-growth trees in the Tongass National Forest."

"International donors agreed on Monday to free up more than $500 million in aid to protect tropical rainforests, including the Amazon where wildfires are raging, France’s president said on Monday at a U.N. meeting shunned by Brazil."

"ALDER CREEK GROVE, Tulare County — The all-terrain vehicle cut through heavy brush, bounced over rocks and sliced through the undergrowth as it rumbled up a steep trail toward a meadow dominated by giant sequoia trees high in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains."

"It’s June, the start of burning season in the Amazon. Fires are beginning to rage all over the forest, the final stage of clearing land for pasture. The smoke gets so thick it’s visible from space, and hard to breathe down here on the ground. But from where I sit, in a dented pick-up headed south, I can barely see through a storm of dust."

"Australian firefighters battled more than 100 bushfires across two eastern states on Sunday as authorities warned that parts of the country could expected a severe bushfire season this summer."

"The Interior Department broke federal spending law when it dipped into national park fees to keep its most popular sites operating during this winter’s partial federal shutdown, the Government Accountability Office concluded Thursday."

"Annie Haigler steps out of her home in Louisville, Ky., pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket to dab sweat off her forehead. She enjoys sitting on her porch, especially to watch the sunrise. She has always been a morning person. But as the day progresses, the heat can be unbearable for her."

"As thousands of fires ravage the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, some indigenous tribes are turning to prayer in a bid to halt the destruction and protect their environment for future generations."