Are forest fire-fighting strategies changing?

There's a new strategy when it comes to fighting forest fighters: don't fight it at all. In Idaho, the Payette National Forest is just letting it's forest fire burn, instead of using labor and resources to put out the blaze. The idea is that fire is a "natural part of the landscape" that clears out underbrush and small trees and helps create forest openings in a "mosaic pattern." The Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management now routinely detail management plans that show when and where fires do not have to be fought. The U.S. Forest Service is hoping to increase their "use of wildland fire" over the next few years.
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