"America's Fires reviews the historical context of our fire issues and policies that can inform the current and future debate. The forecast makes it imperative that the nation review its policies toward wildland fires and find ways to live with them more intelligently"--Provided by publisher.

Raging wildfires have devastated vast areas of California and Australia in recent years, and predictions are that we will see more of the same in coming years, as a result of climate change. But this is nothing new. Since the dawn of life on land, large-scale fires have played their part in shaping life on Earth. Andrew Scott tells the whole story of fire's impact on our planet's atmosphere, climate, vegetation, ecology, and the evolution of plant...

The authors recount the history of humans among the ponderosa pines, the historical role of fire, how and why the forest has changed and what people can do to restore the forest to its former glory. Part 2 features a richly illustrated guide to 64 special ponderosa places scattered across the West.