Boosting timber harvesting in national forests while cutting public oversight won't solve America's wildfire problem

A forest of burnt trees stand on barren ground on a hillside.

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

The western United States is facing another destructive wildfire season, with more acres burned in Colorado alone in 2025 than in the past four years combined. If global warming continues on its current trajectory, the amount of forest area burned each year could double or even triple by midcentury.