Lightning struck deep in the central Idaho mountains on July 24, 2024, igniting the Wapiti Fire that burned across 129,063 acres around Stanley, Idaho – a place known for its scenic vistas and idyllic rural landscape.
Local communities evacuated, then returned home when the danger had passed. But for ranchers who graze livestock here, evacuation doesn’t end when the smoke clears.
When federal land burns, livestock often cannot return to the area for two years, according to federal land use and forest management plans. Two years of lost income and the added cost of purchasing feed and repairing infrastructure can be as devastating to rural communities as the fires themselves.
I study the impacts of environmental policy on rural communities, particularly those that provide the food, fiber, timber and minerals that society relies on. Research and ranchers’ experiences, including in my home state of Idaho, raise questions about whether the two-year rule, implemented decades ago, is really necessary and whether it’s actually doing more harm than good.