For a long time, fire research in the moist forests of the Pacific Northwest was dominated by two main assertions: that wildfires in the West Cascades are typically "high-severity, low frequency" (in other words, primarily characterized by stand-replacing fires that don't happen very often), and that Indigenous burning largely took place in prairies, river valleys and low-lying oak ecosystems.

But extensive tree ring sampling over the last decade has shown that, in fact, these long-held assertions aren't telling the entire story.

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Andrew Merschel, who is a post-doc at Oregon State University and lead scientist/co-director of the Tree Ring Lab at OSU. Andrew has spent years studying fire histories in the moist, doug fir, hemlock and cedar-dominated forests of the West Cascades by analyzing stumps and tree core samples across the PNW. His work with the Tree Ring Lab has called to question many of our longest-held assumptions about how fires burned in the Pacific Northwest prior to colonization—and the takeaway is that it's not nearly as straightforward as we once thought.

Andrew spoke about how fire "edits" forests over time, how these "edits" are crucial to the development of biodiversity, mature trees and old growth stands, and how we can use what we now know about "Westside" fire histories to inform management practices and wildfire resilience measures. We also spoke about how fire history on the Westside is not spatially or temporally stable, and that it doesn't operate on a cyclical basis; he and his team of research assistants and grad students have found, time and again, that fire histories can change based on what side of a ridge they're on, what part of a watershed they're in, what aspect they're at—making it a fascinating place to research how fire has interacted with the landscape over the last millennia. As Andrew says in this episode: "[In the East Cascades], I can tell you we'll find fire every 15 years at every site we go to. On the Westside it's an adventure, you don't know the story of each place until you get out there."

We also spoke about how this research intersects with Indigenous history, how it can be used to inform management decisions, and how Andrew's team collaborates with community groups, tribes, land management agencies and others to help them establish a better understanding of fire history in specific areas.

If you've ever had questions about how research can inform forest management decisions, about how researchers discern between Indigenous fire use and lightning-caused fires, or how we come to understand a place's relationship with fire over time, this is the episode for you.

To learn more about the Tree Ring Lab, check out their website and consider reading up on some of their recent (and fascinating!) research from the West Cascades.

To support Life with Fire, consider donating to our Patreon, writing us a review on Apple Podcasts, or telling a friend about us!

Today's episode is about our favorite topic of all: wildfire information! Guest Noah Baker—the Wildfire, Climate and Community Health Specialist for the City of Flagstaff—guided us through the social science behind communicating about wildfire, the ways in which we need to modernize our communication pathways with the public, and why it has never been more important for wildland firefighters to talk about their work. Noah's done some great work in his role with Flagstaff, and has some solid recommendations for other folks who work at the city/county/state level and want to improve their relationships and trust with the public while communicating about wildfire risk. And whether you work in public information/comms/public affairs or not, you'll likely glean something insightful from this episode—not only did we talk about on-the-ground initiatives to improve relationships with the public, but we also went down some bigger-picture rabbit holes related to how we can improve our messaging and thinking around wildfire.

One of Noah's biggest suggestions (one that Amanda very much agrees with) is that firefighters need to feel more empowered to not only share their story, but consider pathways in the communications/information space after they leave operational fire. To this end, if you're currently in fire and interested in the public information path, Amanda would be happy to answer any questions you might have about it—she's been a PIO for six summers now, please feel free to shoot her an email about it!

To support Life with Fire, please consider sharing this episode with someone who might like it, leaving an Apple Podcast review, or contributing to our Patreon! Patrons are currently keeping this ship afloat by covering our monthly costs for hosting and software—any support, via Patreon or otherwise, is deeply appreciated!

Note: This episode was recorded in Spanish and primarily covers the resources and trainings that Manuel Machado and his colleagues at the Oregon State University Extension Program have created for Latine forestry workers. If you know anyone who could benefit from hearing about these programs and resources, please share this episode with them.

En el tercer episodio de nuestra serie sobre la Fuerza Laboral Forestal Latina, la presentadora invitada Gaby Eseverri conversa con Manuel Machado, el Coordinador del Programa de la Fuerza Laboral de Recursos Naturales del Programa de Extensión de la Universidad Estatal de Oregón. Este episodio fue posible gracias al apoyo de Rivershed SPC, y estamos agradecidos por su ayuda para hacer realidad esta serie.

Manuel trabaja con organizaciones comunitarias en todo el Noroeste del Pacífico para desarrollar materiales educativos bilingües, centrados en el aprendizaje, dirigidos a trabajadores forestales con visas H-2B y a trabajadores inmigrantes del sector forestal. Al mismo tiempo, desarrolla programas que crean conciencia sobre la mano de obra de la fuerza laboral forestal. Su trabajo tiene como objetivo hacer que este empleo sea más seguro y equitativo, particularmente a través del involucramiento de la fuerza laboral forestal latina en Oregón.

Gaby Eseverri es una periodista ubicada en Missoula, Montana. Ella también colabora en la producción del podcast del Parque Nacional Glacier, Headwaters, el cual recomendamos ampliamente.

En este episodio, Gaby y Manuel conversan sobre la fuerza laboral forestal latina en el Noroeste del Pacífico, incluyendo la historia de esta fuerza laboral, cómo el estatus H-2B y la condición migratoria contribuyen a una cultura de explotación arraigada en el miedo a la deportación. También analizan los riesgos físicos, económicos y sistémicos que enfrenta esta fuerza laboral, y cómo el modelo y la creciente demanda de trabajos de resiliencia forestal dependen en gran medida de trabajadores H-2B e inmigrantes que con frecuencia reciben salarios bajos y son fácilmente explotados. Además, reflexionan sobre por qué la solidaridad no solo es importante, sino necesaria en estos tiempos.

Una nota: Este episodio fue grabado en noviembre de 2025, apenas unos meses después del incidente en el estado de Washington en el que dos bomberos forestales fueron detenidos por la Patrulla Fronteriza (la migra) mientras trabajaban en un incendio forestal activo. Puede encontrar más información sobre este incidente en el enlace.

https://abc7.com/post/patrulla-fronteriza-arresta-2-bomberos-mientras-combatian-incendio-forestal-en-el-estado-de-washington/17685497/