About things humans do to get the outcomes they want from the land.
It’s been quite the year here. This is our first year doing The Lookout full-time. It was a leap of faith. I gave notice on the sixth of January, 2025, and then the next day, the LA Fires started, and so it was kind of an affirmation for us that The Lookout was needed and … Read more
The 2025 Maidu TREX was a collaborative prescribed fire training exchange event, held in Berry Creek, California. The event was a collaboration between the Butte County Resource Conservation District, Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu Indians of California, and many other partners. The Maidu TREX aimed to give tribal members safe opportunities to use fire … Read more
We got a chance to go out and look at Cal Fire Butte Unit’s 400+ acre Phoenix Prescribed Burn yesterday. This project is intended to reduce fuels and increase the likelihood of containing new large fires in a very high-hazard and strategic location, east of Oroville, California. Project Coordinator, Matt Brady, walks us through this … Read more
I got a chance to shoot video on a 20 acre landowner-run prescribed fire at First Rain Farm, burn off of North Bloomfield Read, this week, just above Nevada City. I wanted to cover this project because it has often been difficult to get permits to do prescribed burns in the Sierra Nevada Foothills before … Read more
Plenty of terrible political news out there, today, but if you want to hear two people who thought the other person was full of sh!t on Facebook have a conversation in real life, check out our latest interview. Frank Carroll came onto the Lookout Livestream and discussed the evolution of wildfire policy since 2009, emphasizing … Read more
Today’s Lookout Livestream looks at economic, institutional, and physical constraints to California’s timber industry becoming more wildfire resilient. Topics include: The role of private timberland owners, the impact of climate change, long-term supply challenges for logs and woodchips, need for fire in dry forest ecosystems, and the challenges of prescribed fire implementation. The conversation … Read more
The Garnet Fire continues to gobble acres, but the weather is cooling down a bit, and shortly, the fire will run out of mountains to run to the top of. Tonight’s Lookout Livestream tracks today’s developments on the fire. We also talk about the Blue and Dillon Fires, and how tactics that look easy on … Read more
The Garnet Fire has gobbled about 20 square miles in the past 12 hours. We’ll catch you up on where this new growth is happening. Below, we also have the second half of this livestream, which is focused more on forestry. We split them up so the good forestry info wouldn’t get burned in the … Read more
We’ve been reporting on how the Garnet Fire, burning on the Sierra National Forest east of Fresno, has been spreading into a large area of old-growth forest in the Teakettle Experimental Forest. The Climate & Wildfire Institute, a think tank with connections to UCLA, got about $5.4 million from the California Climate Investments (CCI) fund … Read more
Though our semi-daily Lookout Livestreams usually are focused on current developments on active fires, we end up covering a lot of broader wildland firefighting, forestry, and prescribed fire topics. This episode uses the ongoing Garnet and Dillon Fires to illustrate indirect attack tactics – the practice of preparing firelines well in advance of the fire’s … Read more
Zeke Lunder provided a detailed update on the Garnet Fire, noting its progression and the potential for it to be contained. He discussed the impact of recent rains and the fire’s activity near the Tea Kettle Experimental Forest, where a carbon-focused forestry project just got nuked. Lunder also covered other fires in California, including the … Read more
We’ve been reporting on how the Garnet Fire, burning on the Sierra National Forest east of Fresno, has been spreading into a large area of old-growth forest in the Teakettle Experimental Forest. The Climate & Wildfire Institute, a think tank with connections to UCLA, got about $5.4 million from the California Climate Investments (CCI) fund … Read more
If you’re interested in how wildfires affect the ecology of a place, and in how we can manage post-burn landscapes in anticipation of future fires, here is an interview with Jamie Allen, a biologist working in Seiad Valley, in the Klamath Mountains. We talk about how the 2014 Happy Camp Complex Fires are affecting the … Read more
Zeke Lunder discussed the Root Fire, which was taken off Mount Shasta, and its potential impact on the surrounding area. The fire, started in a clear-cut on private land, is expected to spread north towards Lake Siskiyou, driven by unstable weather conditions and strong winds. The area hasn’t had fire for over 100 years, leading … Read more
Zeke Lunder discussed the Garnet and Blue fires, noting the Garnet fire’s active status and the Blue fire’s recent growth to 1,000 acres. He highlighted the challenges of managing fires in the northern Sierra due to strong east winds and the impact on old-growth forests. Zeke mentioned the upcoming interview with Jamie Allen, a biologist … Read more
Zeke Lunder discussed the Garnet Fire, which started near the Kings River and spread into the Sierra Nevada, highlighting its rapid growth and the challenges of suppressing it. He also covered the Teakettle Experimental Forest, where a planned 3,000-acre burn is being incinerated by the fire’s advancement. Lunder explained the complexities of fire behavior in … Read more
The livestream discussed current fire behavior and management tactics on major fires in California. The Garnet fire is spreading rapidly, with a 1,000-acre spot fire across the North Fork of the Kings River. The L-2 fire near Deer Creek Falls, in Tehama County is under control, thanks to a lot of heavy helicopter drops. The … Read more
This broadcast, on August 25, 2025, discussed various wildfires across the West Coast. Michael Steinberg, a geography student, shared his field observations from the Pickett Fire in Napa County, highlighting some extreme fire behavior he observed firsthand on 8/23/2025, and the impact of 2020 fire severity on current fuel loading. The Garnet Fire in Fresno, … Read more
We’ll be covering the Coyote Fire today on The Lookout and our YouTube channel. The fire is laying down right now, under a lot of smoke. This morning’s livestream looks at overnight growth. TLDR: The fire is burning in fairly steep canyons and heavy forest. The atmosphere was somewhat stable, yesterday, and this kept the … Read more
We did a 3-hour livestream today covering fresh intel for the emerging Coyote Fire, in Southern El Dorado County. The fire started around 3pm. Fire location at 10:30 pm, 8/20/2025: The Coyote Fire, located in El Dorado County, started within the last hour and is burning in a remote area with significant structures nearby. The … Read more
Zeke Lunder discussed the Gifford fire, which started on August 12 and has been burning for 12 days. The fire is mostly contained in the southern two-thirds, but concerns remain about the north end. Lunder reviewed maps and webcam footage, noting the fire’s progress and the challenges of fighting mid-slope fires. He also critiqued a … Read more
We are adopting a bit more freewheeling format for the Lookout Livestream as we enter peak fire season in California. In this report, Zeke Lunder discussed the Gifford fire, noting its 100,000-acre size and recent growth of 4-6 miles per day. He highlighted the impact of the marine layer on fire behavior and the potential … Read more
Summary Zeke Lunder provided updates on several fires, starting with Dragon Bravo in New Mexico, which is spreading slowly and interacting with previous fire scars. The fire is expected to hit the Cane fire area, potentially being contained there. Monroe Canyon’s fire, driven by drought and wind, is being managed with firing operations. The Gifford … Read more
The Big Cliff Fire, on the Klamath National Forest, in far NW California, looks like it will be with us for awhile. Here is last night’s IR map. Big Cliff Fire Overview The Big Cliff Fire is on a steep slope, making mapped acreage inacurate. The fire is burning inside the “Whites Fire” from 2014, … Read more
A busy day here at The Lookout, and across the west! We started the day looking at intel for the Dragon Bravo and Monroe Canyon Fires, but quickly got swept up with the developing Big Cliff Fire, on the Klamath National Forest, and finished the afternoon watching the rapidly-unfolding 1-4 Fire, in Susanville. We cover … Read more
Summary Zeke Lunder provided a midday update on the Dragon Bravo and Monroe Canyon fires, using satellite imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2. The Dragon Bravo fire, active on the western flank, has seen significant firefighting efforts, including drone-assisted ignitions. The fire has advanced a mile and a half in 12 hours and is … Read more
Summary Zeke Lunder discussed the Dragon Bravo and Monroe Canyon fires. Dragon Bravo, burning on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, has destroyed the visitor center and is spreading rapidly, with minimal firefighting success. The fire is expected to reach the Kaibab Lodge, with efforts to slow its progression using drones and strategic firing … Read more
Summary Zeke Lunder discusses the Dragon Bravo and Monroe Canyon fires, in Northern Arizona and Central Utah, detailing their spread, weather conditions, and firefighting strategies. Dragon Bravo, starting on the North Rim, is moving north, with strong southwest winds and low humidity. Monroe Canyon Fire, in Utah, had a major run several days ago, when … Read more
Today’s Lookout Livestream discusses the Dragon Bravo Fire, on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, in Northern Arizona, and the Monroe Canyon Fires, in Central Utah. Both are currently being influences by very dry conditions, and strong SW winds. Under the current conditions, the fires are largely uncontrollable, with most firefighting progress being made … Read more
Zeke Lunder provided an update on the Dragon Bravo fire, which has been active for nearly a month and is now 8,000 acres. The fire has destroyed over 70 structures and is moving northeast under prevailing southwesterly winds. Firefighters have conducted firing operations to manage the fire’s intensity but face challenges due to extreme dryness … Read more