@wildland-zko.bsky.social
Wildland Fire and Forestry Communicator. Working in the woods since 1990. Qualified California Burn Boss. Intel = all public data. Photos by me. Fire is the best teacher. the-lookout.org
New (extended) interview on The Lookout with Malibu Architect, David Hertz.
We discuss the need for architects to become better-versed in fire mitigation, and the challenges and pitfalls of rebuilding in fire-prone areas, such as the Palisades and Bel Air.
the-lookout.org/2025/08/02/i...
Finishing up edits on episodes 1 and 2 of our Lookout in LA - Danger in Plain Sight series!
First episodes are dropping in one week. We got the final cut of episode 1 back last night, and it was so good it gave me the goosebumps!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKlg...
Last night's IR for the Big Cliff Fire, on the Klamath National Forest, shows long-range spotting, and a fire that will be with us for awhile.
New mapping and commentary on The Lookout.
the-lookout.org/2025/08/01/b...
Today's Lookout reporting analyzes 4 active wildfires in California and the Southwest, detailing their spread and behavior. The discussion highlights the intricate relationships between forest management, fire dynamics, and ecosystem health.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/31/s...
New fire just on the north end of Susanville, a threat to homes on end of Paiute Lane and Susanville Indian Rancheria. Viscious wind shift on this thing in last 10 minute. Susanville fires have a history of really ripping in the afternoon hours. Dangerous fire.
01.08.2025 00:02 — 👍 11 🔁 6 💬 1 📌 0
We are tracking the new Big Cliff Fire on the Klamath National Forest just west of the Russian Wilderness, between Callahan and Sawyers Bar. We should have better mapping of it in the next few hours. It is burning within a 11 year-old fire scar, and it going to be hard to put out.
31.07.2025 16:23 — 👍 6 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Geeking out hard - it's a two-livestream sort of day, here at The Lookout!
This afternoon we got a drop of Sentinel satellite imagery for the Dragon Bravo and Monroe Canyon Fires, in Arizona and Utah, which catches both fires in the midst of kicking some serious ass!
the-lookout.org/2025/07/30/s...
Interesting firing operations are unfolding on the Dragon Bravo Fire as crews scramble to protect the area around Kaibab Lodge ahead of the fire's arrival. Several previous firing ops on this fire have failed to halt the fire's spread.
Cover photo: Lauren Cisneros
the-lookout.org/2025/07/30/d...
A couple land-geek friends shot us some aerials for our recent Park Fire video, and they blew my mind!
The Lookout needs a drone!
Do any Lookout superfans have one they aren't using, or want to help us get in the air?
Today's Lookout Livestream looks at factors driving the major, fairly uncontrollable spread of the Dragon Bravo Fire, in Northern Arizona, and the Monroe Canyon Fire, in Central Utah.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/29/d...
Today's Lookout Livestream discusses the Dragon Bravo Fire, on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, in Northern Arizona, and the Monroe Canyon Fires, in Central Utah. Under the current conditions, the fires are largely uncontrollable.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/28/d...
Today's Lookout Livestream uses the extremely-active Dragon Bravo Fire as a object lesson in fire behavior analysis, and the extreme difficulty in containing fires burning under extreme weather conditions.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/27/p...
The #CenterFire is burning just west of the canyon rim on Nimshew Ridge, south off the end of Paschal Way.
The fuels are ridiculously heavy at the top of the rim, but weather conditions are fairly mild today. Bad place for a fire, though.
I asked a robot to parse my sense of humor, after feeding it today's livestream about the Dragon Bravo Fire. We talk about all the different ways that this fire continues to absolutely kick firefighters' asses.
Here is our coverage for the fire, for today.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/26/d...
A year after the Park Fire, we are sharing an hour-long interview I did a week into the fire, with Northstate Public Radio's Blue Dot Report - a nationally-syndicated science program.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/26/t...
Some lightning activity, yesterday, but wildfire fuel moistures are higher than average in the Northern Sierra and Sac Valley, hazard of new large fires is relatively low unless we get dozens or hundreds of ignitions.
Blue line = 2025.
Red is max dryness 2000-2022.
Gray line is average 2000-2022.
Who says wildfire reporting has to be formulaic and boring?
the-lookout.org/2025/07/24/a...
Our architecture reaction video caught some ink in the California Sun Newsletter. If you haven't heard of it, the California Sun is a great daily newsletter currated by Mike McPhate.
www.californiasun.co/newsletter/t...
Here is our 7/22/2025 morning report for the Butler Fire, in NW California.
The fire isn't doing a lot, but there are lots of interesting facets to how fires get fought in this country, and also, in how the locals interact with the incident management teams.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/22/b...
A Lookout reaction video about a gorgeous and doomed-to-burn (in my opinion) $4M architectural joyride in La Cañada Flintridge, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, just NE of Los Angeles. A prelude to our upcoming 'Danger in Plain Sight' video series.
youtu.be/lBjtCuh7kBc?...
If you're interested in the topic of using fire as a land management tool, both with prescribed fire and managed wildfire, check out this great new episode of Amanda Monthei's Life With Fire Podcast.
lifewithfirepodcast.com/episodes/the...
Here is our intel assessment for the Butler Fire, burning around Fork of Salmon, in NW California. It is based on infrared mapping collected 7/20/2025 at 11pm. We look at current fire behavior and the influence of previous fires in the area on this fire's potential.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/21/b...
Here is our intel update for the Butler Fire and Forks of Salmon, California, for 7/20/2025.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/20/f...
The firefighters continue to make good progress on the Green Fire north of Shasta Lake.
Here is our daily update.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/19/g...
The Butler Fire continues to spread toward the community of Forks of Salmon. Pretty touch-and/go there, now. Here is our assessment for 7/19/25.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/19/f...
The Butler Fire, on the Salmon River, in NW California, jumped the Salmon River, yesterday, and had run 285 acres there by 3am. Here is our assessment. the-lookout.org/2025/07/18/t...
18.07.2025 15:07 — 👍 9 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0
Erika and I will be selling her pottery and my metalwork at a craft fair in Graeagle, California, this weekend! All proceeds go to support The Lookout (aka us making a living in general!) www.graeagle.com/events/graea...
17.07.2025 17:42 — 👍 14 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Today's Lookout Livestream is an extended/freewheeling tour of the topic of wildfire severity, told as a bunch of stories about fires I have worked on or studied in Northern California over the past 3 decades.
the-lookout.org/2025/07/16/u...
What happened at the Grand Canyon?
What goes into the decision to let some fires burn to benefit the ecology of a place? A new post on The Lookout explores the current situation at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the-lookout.org/2025/07/15/n...
A Lookout Superfan made this song for me using AI. I didn't know such things were possible.
16.07.2025 01:35 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
