Summary:
- The western United States is facing a growing "hidden fire crisis" due to the buildup of dead and dry vegetation in forests.
- This vegetation acts as fuel for wildfires, which have become larger, more frequent, and more destructive in recent years due to climate change and poor forest management practices.
- Addressing this hidden fire crisis will require a combination of forest thinning, prescribed burning, and better land management strategies to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the future.