wildfire

Two groups of journalists are asking for a review of communications during the Hawk Fire.

Much of the West sweltered through record-breaking heat this summer, as a strengthening El Niño, unusually warm oceans and ongoing human-caused climate change combined to push temperatures to historic levels.

Washoe County officials believed they had sent public safety warnings via local radio and TV stations, but those alerts never went out.

Giant sequoias only grow naturally in California today. But they once ranged as far east as Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada, before the climate turned drier and pushed them into their current, narrower range.

As the climate warms, some mountain trees are moving higher up, while others are spreading downhill. Scientists say something inside the trees may explain why. And that split could reshape watersheds and wildfire risk.

Several casino-hotels in Reno are offering discounted room rates Monday night to community members affected by fires, including the Bug Fire.

The two fires have burned over 17,000 acres and evacuations have been ordered in northern Reno as of Monday morning.

Prescribed fires can reduce wildfire risk while also improving wildlife habitat, according to a new study from the Nature Conservancy.

After a wildfire, rivers and streams can take years to recover. Native plants and wildlife are often crowded out by invasive species in the aftermath. But in Nevada’s Virgin River watershed, a collaboration between federal agencies and conservation groups is pointing to early signs of recovery.

Wildfire risk is rising across the West after a dry winter and ongoing drought left vegetation more vulnerable to fire. Now, researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno are putting about $3.5 million in federal funding to work on a project aimed at reducing that risk in the eastern Sierra Nevada.