fires, forest fires

This picture is Polk County, Iowa,

It’s 755 square miles. 

If you were in Iowa, this is how much land might be on fire,

If you’re in Siberia, this area is on fire. 

Siberia’s 1,826 forest fires have burned about 755 square miles.  

And across eleven western states, nearly 2,000,000 acres have recently burned. That’s about 3000 square miles.

How big is that? Nearly the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined; four counties in Iowa. 

In 2009, we protected wilderness lands across the country adding up to more than 3,000 square miles. There’s 3,125 square miles allocated for possible oil shale development in just three states.