Publisher's Synopsis
Of all the natural disasters we face on Earth, a wildfire is the only catastrophe that is controllable--and in many cases, predictable. Costing thousands of lives each year and as much as $300 billion annually in the United States alone, wildfires are fueled by human behavior, environmental factors, and in many cases, the mismanagement, ineptitude, and lack of candor by governmental agencies. Running Out of Time: Wildfires and Our Imperiled Forests is the culmination of more than 10 years of extensive research, expert interviews, and personal experience. It exposes the inexplicable policies, practices, and deception of the federal agencies responsible for the nation's forest oversight, revealing dangerous vulnerabilities in current wildfire suppression systems and forest management practices.
Beyond the exhaustive and comprehensive discussion of the root causes and history of wildfires in the U.S., David Auchterlonie and Jeffrey Lehman also provide solutions that can save lives, land, property, and the environment. Both a national and a global threat, the wildfires that make headlines do not exist in isolation, and have drastic consequences for neighboring countries and our collective resources that influence everything from trade to what families eat at night. Despite the challenges ahead, Running Out of Time remains forward-looking and solutions-oriented.
