More than one-quarter of United States Forest Service (USFS) firefighting positions are vacant, creating shortages as extreme conditions lead to wildfires across the country, internal data reviewed by The Guardian has revealed.
USFS Chief Tom Schultz has repeatedly reassured the public and lawmakers that the agency is prepared for the high amount of wildfire activity predicted this year.
“The agency saying it is ‘fully staffed’ is dangerous,” a squad leader who is familiar with the data said. “Maxing out 19-year-olds with no qualifications isn’t the best strategy.”
With more than 41,000 wildfires already this year, the 5,100 unfilled positions — 26 percent of the USFS firefighting force — are especially concerning for regions like the Pacific Northwest that are facing extremely high wildfire risk in 2025.
Today a bunch of articles have been being published about fire and our staffing numbers. Members like you have…
Posted by NFFE Forest Service Council – IAMAW on Tuesday, July 22, 2025
USFS staffing reports from July 17 show a USFS vacancy rate of 39 percent during a year that has been almost 31 percent busier than average in terms of wildfire activity.
In the Intermountain region — the nation’s largest with nearly 34 million forested acres across parts of Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, California and Idaho — staff shortages are at almost 37 percent.
In Oregon and New Mexico, firefighters have described being pulled away from fire lines to do administrative tasks due to insufficient support staff, reported Reuters.
“There is definitely a lot of tension in the system this season,” said one fire captain, as The Guardian reported. “It’s sort of like that medieval torture device that stretched people – just one more crank.”
There have been reports of forest service crews having less than half the staff needed to be considered fully operational.
Six U.S. firefighters who asked to remain anonymous due to being barred from speaking publicly said staffing shortages had made it harder for firefighters to suppress large wildfires and have contributed to more risks and injuries for those working on the ground.
Many of the vacant positions are in leadership and middle management, which leaves crucial gaps in tactical planning and experience.
“We can’t send [a crew] without supervision because it is unsafe – if they don’t have a qualified supervisor that engine is parked,” said retired firefighter Bobbie Scopa, who was with the USFS for 45 years.
Less staff also leads to fatigue for firefighters who spend weeks on fire lines in extreme weather with little chance for rest and recovery.
“Folks are having to fill in and fill holes,” Scopa explained, “and they are going out without all the positions they need for a team.”
To be fair, the map looks like that pretty much every year.
But to the point, now is not the time to mess w/ our ability to do our jobs.
Purchasing (basic supplies) was never easy in the government; it’s worse now.
Of course we dutifully jump thru hoops as elections have consequences, but damn.
— Alt US Forest Service (@altusfs.altgov.info) July 17, 2025 at 9:38 PM
In recent years, the USFS has had a hard time recruiting and retaining qualified firefighters due to low pay and increasing job hazards. The agency lost almost half its permanent employees from 2021 to 2024.
The issue has been exacerbated by the Trump administration, which has slashed budgets and reduced support staff.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the USFS, has tried calling on employees with fire qualifications who took early retirement or resignation offers to return voluntarily for the season until their contracts end. However, when Schultz was questioned by senators about the issue, he said the numbers of employees who had decided to return were not yet available.
“We depend on those people to help run the large fires,” Scopa said, as reported by The Guardian. “Teams are not fully functional right now because we have lost so many people.”
Scopa said there had even been food shortages for firefighters in the field.
“I am hearing from firefighters who aren’t getting meals because they are having problems with the contracts for the caterers because we laid off people who worked in contracting,” Scopa said. “There was no efficiency in this – they just slashed it with an ax.”
And the staff reductions could get worse.
The Trump administration is proposing the consolidation of firefighters into a new Department of the Interior agency. Many firefighters support the concept, but there have been worries that emergency response management is taking a back seat while the process is being pushed through quickly.
“You all have trotted out another new reorganization in the middle of a very dangerous fire season,” said Democratic Senator from Oregon Ron Wyden to Schultz during a committee meeting, as The Guardian reported. “These infernos are not your grandfather’s fires – they are bigger and they are hotter. We need to address this critical preparedness gap.”
A state of emergency was declared in Oregon last week due to wildfire activity. The state has already been affected by several fires this year, including the 95,000-acre Cram fire, the largest in the country.
As of July 21, 83 large wildfires were being fought by firefighters across the country.
Approximately two weeks ago, the country’s fire managers moved its response to “Preparation Level 4,” the second-highest designation, which shows that firefighting resources are heavily committed.
Even though Schultz has assured Congress of the USFS’ preparedness for the intense wildfire activity, his tone shifted in an internal memo last week to agency leadership, as shared with The Guardian.
“As expected, the 2025 fire year is proving to be extremely challenging,” Schultz wrote. “We have reached a critical point in our national response efforts and we must make every resource available. At times like this we know the demand for resources outpaces their availability.”
The post Firefighter Shortage Across U.S. Poses ‘Dangerous’ Risks as Peak Wildfire Season Ramps Up appeared first on EcoWatch.
https://www.ecowatch.com/firefighter-shortage-usfs-wildfire-season.html
Thoreau wrote in Walden that “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in,” which reminds us that life is short and nature fills it beautifully. What are you looking for that can’t be found during an afternoon in nature?
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Time Is but the Stream appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-time-is-but-the-stream/
Green Living
Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action
Turn back the clock with this classic interview that will get you ready for Spring yard care planning. A lawn may be beautiful but it can take a heavy toll on the environment, accounting for between 30% and 60% of residential water use in the United States. Rob Moir, Ph.D., is president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ORI works with residential lawn owners to heal damaged ecosystems by restoring coastal areas to lessen the destructive impacts of climate change. The benefits of a natural lawn reach far beyond reduced local water pollution, eliminating chemicals that can contribute to cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other cellular diseases. Natural lawns are also better for local pollinators and store much more carbon than heavily fertilized lawns. If you considered removing your lawn to play a part in the battle against climate change, this interview may change your mind — a healthy lawn is a powerful carbon sink.
The Ocean River Institute is recruiting Massachusetts communities, town by town, to take a pledge to follow natural lawn practices in the Healthy Soils for Climate Restoration Challenge. You don’t need to live in Massachusetts to participate and learn about the alternatives to the traditional, chemical-intensive lawn practices that use Roundup, a source of glyphosates that kills soil-dwelling fungi and local pollinators, and fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers. You can learn more about the Ocean River Institute at www.oceanriver.org.
Rob has contributed many articles about climate change and the history of environmental change since this interview, including:
- Finding a Northwest Passage to the Sea
- Turning the Tide—How Land and Water Shape Our Climate Future
- Learning from Captain Scoresby’s Ten-gallon Fir-Cask
- Earth Savvy?
- Let the Ground Keep Falling Rainwater
- The Sultans of Swag Versus Looking at Clouds from Both Sides Now
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube
Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on May 30, 2022.
The post Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-the-ocean-river-institutes-natural-lawn-challenge-for-climate-action/
Choosing your perfect gown can be one of the most exciting decisions for your special day, but for the eco fashionista, it can be a challenge to find a dress that fits your values and style — but these brands have exceptional sustainable wedding dresses you’ll swoon over!
Using earth-minded materials like hemp, cruelty-free peace silk, deadstock recycled fabrics and vintage lace, and producing consciously, either in small batches or handcrafting each individual piece made-to-order, the brands below meet high standards for transparency, ecological sustainability, and fair labor.
[For more sustainable wedding dresses, check out this guide to secondhand wedding dress sites!]
Note that the guide contains affiliate links. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability we love, that we think you’ll love too!
1. Christy Dawn
Dreamy dress brand Christy Dawn does not disappoint with their romantic bridal collection! Each piece is more swoon-worthy than the next.
Their three sustainable bridal gowns are made from regenerative silk charmeuse —sourced through BOMBYX, an innovative silk producer using best practices — and colored in a beautiful pearl silk with non-toxic dyes. Each dress is ethically cut and sewn by makers in Los Angeles earning living wages, as with the rest of Christy Dawn’s collections.
The Britta Dress and Fitzgerald Dress are 1920s inspired while the Athena Dress is a more modern (but equally romantic) option. All of these dresses are made-to-order with an estimated timeline of 4 weeks.
Conscious Qualities: Regenerative silk and organic non-toxic dyes, ethically made-to-order in Los Angeles
Price Range: $2,500 – $3,000
Size Range: XS – XL
2. Pure Magnolia
Blending the traditional with the modern, Pure Magnolia designs classic-inspired sustainable wedding dresses with contemporary touches. And each dress is made in their Canadian studio by seamstresses earning fair wages from eco-fabrics, such as organic cotton and hemp silk.
The brand sources recycled fabrics whenever possible as well, and recycles their scrap fabric through FABCYCLE.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, locally and fairly made, recycles scrap fabrics
Price Range: $845 – $3,300 CAD
Size Range: 0 – 28
3. Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris crafts each of their creatively designed bohemian-inspired gowns ethically in their Sydney, Australia studio. Unconventional yet undeniably striking, Lost in Paris’ dresses are made from vintage lace and cotton.
Investing in a dress from Lost in Paris is seamless — the brand offers at-home sample try-ons, offers train and sleeve adjustments on several styles, ships their dresses worldwide for free, and even accepts returns. Oh, and, if one of their ready-made sizes doesn’t work for you, you can get a dress designed to your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses vintage lace, locally made
Price Range: $950 – $3900 AUD
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing options
For More Slow Fashion Content:
4. Wear Your Love
Wear Your Love creates feminine, effortless dresses in their Northern California studio that are — in contrast to the majority of wedding dresses on the market — actually comfortable! The brand’s free-spirited designs are made with soft, earth-minded fabrics like organic cotton and each dress is made to order for each bride to their exact measurements.
There are also customizations available for each eco-friendly wedding dress such as train or no train, skirt or sleeve linings, back coverage, skirt style, and more.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model, locally and transparently made
Price Range: $680 – $1,700
Size Range: N/A; dresses are made to your measurements
5. Larimeloom
Based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Larimeloom crafts exceptional custom-made dresses by hand in their atelier. The brand creates comfortable minimalist dresses from durable natural fabrics and colors them with natural or non-toxic dyes.
Larimeloom has also implemented zero waste design techniques, cutting their patterns strategically in order to minimize fabric waste.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, zero-waste designs, natural fabrics and dyes
Price Range: 650€ – 2,650€
Size Range: XS – XL
6. Sister Organics
Sourcing quality earth-friendly natural fabrics like organic hemp and cotton, Sister Organics creates classic, eco-friendly wedding dresses for UK-based brides.
Each dress is made to order in England, so you can select a pre-defined size, customize the length of a size, or get an entirely different dress made for your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model
Price Range: £125 – £390
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing
7. Indiebride London
Indiebride’s vintage-inspired sustainable wedding dresses are delicate and romantic yet free-spirited, offering a unique collection for the bride that wants to skip the conventional wedding gown and choose a piece that fits their individual style.
The brand’s conscious wedding dresses are handmade in London using majority natural fibers and can be altered or customized to your specifications.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses many natural fabrics, locally made
Price Range: £1,200 – £1,700
Size Range: 8 – 16 (UK sizes)
More Resources For Your Eco Wedding:
10 Secondhand Wedding Dress Sites for the Eco Bride
7 Ethical Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement and Wedding Rings
17 Brands with Conscious Dresses (great options for bridesmaid dresses in here!)
The post 7 Best Sustainable Wedding Dresses for Your Special Day appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
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