What to read to understand the burning of the American West

FEW THINGS in the American West feel more omnipresent than the threat of wildfire in summer and autumn. Highway signs inform passers-by of daily changes in the degree of fire risk. Law enforcement officials urge neighbourhood pyromaniacs to be careful when setting off fireworks each Fourth of July, lest one spark an uncontrollable blaze. Smoke dirties the air and, sometimes, gives the sky an apocalyptic orange glow. Wildfires are a natural part of the landscape in the West. But climate change has further dehydrated an arid region, priming forests to burn. The following books—and one podcast—help to explain the dryness of the West, the evolution of America’s relationship to fire, and the ways in which bad policy and planning have put growing numbers of people in harm’s way.