Fire is a natural process. And fire in nature has been used and influenced by people. For hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years, Native Americans used fire to shape the ecosystem across North America. Today, climate change is affecting both the frequency and scope of wildfire, particularly in the western US. In 2020, hundreds of wildfires burned more than 10 million acres in the US, producing nearly $20 billion in damage, and killing more than 30 people. While visiting Glacier National Park on a smoky day (>30 large incident fires were burning in Montana at the time), my thoughtful mother-in-law remarked, “Todd, isn’t Engineering With Nature relevant to the problem of wildfires?” My family is quite informed about EWN. 😊 Climate change adaption for wildfires should include a range of nature-based solutions. More to come.
![View of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park during a family visit in August 2007 showing a dock with boats along both sides and a clear blue sky with shorelines and mountains in the distance](https://ewn.erdc.dren.mil/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1-McDonaldLakeAug2007_1000.jpg)
![View of Lake McDonald, from the same spot, in Glacier National Park in August 2021. THe sky is hazy, fewer boats are along the dock and three people are gathered at the end of the dock.](https://ewn.erdc.dren.mil/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2-McDonaldLakeAug2021_1000.jpg)
![Forest recovery and regrowth near Lake McDonald following the Robert fire in 2003 showing new evergreen trees starting to grow.](https://ewn.erdc.dren.mil/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3-Robertfire_1000.jpg)