WASHINGTON _ When it comes to wildfires, California is "not on the side of nature," Gov. Jerry Brown acknowledged in an Aug. 1 press conference. "We're fighting nature."
There are, however, things people can do to mitigate the risk of forest fires, which are growing ever longer and more destructive in the West thanks to high temperatures, drought and invasive species. After years of neglect, California's government is now stepping up efforts to do just that.
The federal government, however, is not moving with the same sense of urgency.
