New paper in Fire Ecology: what actually makes a wildfire "extreme"? Current definitions rely on rigid thresholds that don't hold up across ecosystems. We argue for judging fire behavior, ecological outcomes, and social impacts against historical baselines. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Today, the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, it’s important to reread the (brief) text of that revolutionary document. It was neither the start, nor the end of the Revolution, but the legal justification to end the unjust imposition of the crown. www.archives.gov/founding-doc...

Never miss a Sunday show

I helped my grandfather plant some black walnuts in the early 1990s. It was time to thin, so I took some down last week. Turned the end of this little one into my first live edge bowl.

Every time a scientific journal asks if I'm a robot when I'm trying to view and article I really want there to be a box I can check that says: Sort of, but I really want to read this article.

Yesterday Dani Owen’s successfully defended her thesis on Pika in Glacier NP, advised by @ecologyofgavin.bsky.social and then we celebrated. She knocked it out of the park!

I just want to point out that temperatures over land (where we all live) have warmed over twice as fast as ocean surface temperatures. The latest update through 2025 is... not great 🥴 Graphic created by www.columbia.edu/~mhs119/Temp...

The day started way too early, but I managed to get to the shop after wrapping up my work. Just started turning bowls and really enjoying it. Cherry and ambrosia maple.

Dani Owens, my first (!) graduate student (co-advised w/ @mhurteau.bsky.social) is defending her MSc thesis on June 9. Dani’s work on pikas in Glacier National Park has been impressive in so many ways. Come see what she has been up to, and what comes next!

Every dollar spent on forest fuels treatment saves about $3.75 in wildfire damages, according to new research from UC Davis that analyzed nearly 300 wildfires across the western United States. 👉 Read the full study at: bit.ly/ForestFuelUCD #WildfireResilience #ForestHealth #PrescribedFire

Happy to see this 272 cm DBH sugar pine survived the Garnet fire. Raking around the tree and inside the fire scar were important.

A very high fire danger will develop across New Mexico Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The combination of high temperatures, low humidity, dry conditions, and breezy will create these fire conditions. #NMFire #NMwx

What is with the latest generation of every POS software making you burrow one mor level in to find what you need. IOS app updates, one more level. MS word spell corrector, one more level. Enshitification is real.

The Hummingbird Fire has been burning Iron Creek Mesa and adjacent areas for several days. There have been as many as 5 fires in the past 50 years in the blue circle. I look forward to getting back in there to see the fire effects.

I just read an article that referred to musicians and artists as ‘content creators’ and people like me who enjoy music and art as ‘consumers’. Gross. Clearly that author has never been to a concert or art museum. You cannot consume an experience.

April will finish around the 9th warmest on record in Albuquerque, but amazingly it still wasn't as warm as March was. #NMwx

Our new report from the @nationalacademies.org has just been released! We describe the need and potential structure for a Synthesis Center for Paleoenvironmental Records of Extreme Events for improving knowledge into their frequency and potential magnitudes www.nationalacademies.org/projects/DEL...

Yesterday we had the groundbreaking ceremony for the New Mexico Reforestation Center. Phase 1 will be able to grow 1 million seedlings/yr. We’ve got more fundraising to do to build out the remaining capacity, but I’m proud of how far we’ve come since 2020. We have a great team.

Wildfires can convert naturally occurring chromium-3 into the carcinogen chromium-6, which can contaminate groundwater for years, writes @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social www.hcn.org/issues/58-4/...

These are from Iron Creek Mesa, which is the direction the Hummingbird Fire is heading. This is the result of 50ish years of policy and management to restore fire to the system.

*EXTREME* fire weather conditions will develop Sunday afternoon across eastern New Mexico with southwest wind gusts as high as 60 mph, low relative humidity, and dry conditions. This is the first Extremely Critical outlook in New Mexico in 364 days. #NMFire #NMwx

The Hummingbird Fire on the Gila NF has grown with the high winds. Suppression efforts are focused on structures in Willow Creek. The other map is from a paper by @kgwillson.bsky.social showing all of the fire activity in the Gila and Aldo Leopold wilderness.

This is a perfect example of a fire where we should NOT risk human life to suppress. This area has seen lots of fire. This fire will probably clean up a bunch of heavy fuel from the W-B. Upwind of this fire are a whole bunch more fire footprints.

How can records of the past inform our understanding of extreme events? Join the National Academies on April 29 for a webinar releasing a new report on a proposed Center for Paleoenvironmental Records of Extreme Events Register: events.nationalacademies.org/46602

My favorite latest edition to the peer review process is when you submit a review and then the journal sends a survey on your reviewer experience. If they really want that back, they need a 14 day deadline and to send 17 reminder emails.

“Why should I care about Svalbard way up there in the Arctic?” 1.) The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the global “doomsday” vault for human food security. With climate change warming the Arctic 4Xs faster than the rest of 🌎🌍🌏, this seed vault is at risk. www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth...

A high fire danger returns to New Mexico Wednesday and Thursday. Westerly winds will gust as high as 45 mph Wednesday and as high as 55 mph Thursday. #NMFire #NMwx

A good day in the field deploying sensors for Lorraina’s project.

In the typical short-sighted moronic decision making I’ve come to expect, they are proposing to destroy bike infrastructure in DC. Chime in and let your electeds know not to support this boneheaded move. www.votervoice.net/iframes/Bike...

This is cool.

Gambel oak and ponderosa pine. The pine is from a stump that was cut in the late 1800s or early 1900s. That was some finicky wood to turn.

If o could switch the internet off permanently tomorrow, I would. The world would be a much better place.

Your moment of zen

I find it interesting when job applicants don’t recognize that first filter is if they can follow instructions in the advertisement.

As our new book emerges into the world, I'm engaged in the exercise of peering through the complexity of what we're trying to say in search of the simplicity: www.inkstain.net/2026/04/its-...

I am hiring a new postdoc to work on an ecosystem modeling project with colleagues in hydrology, computer science, and the social sciences, including @mojisadegh.bsky.social If you want to do impactful work to understand the forest-water relationship, apply: www.hurteaulab.org/blog/ecosyst...

I had a great time in the field with my colleagues and 11 artists that will be working to tell the story of fire in northern New Mexico. The opening will be 28-30 August in Taos. You can read about the project here: paseoproject.org/disturbance2...

Your moment of zen

Sooooo, the Southwest U.S. was more than 5°F warmer than the previous March record high for maximum (daytime) temperatures.... 🫠 Graphic from www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monit...

Another great day in the forest. Today we talked about managed fire and putting the puzzle together on the landscape to facilitate more fire.

The NAU posse representing in the field today.

Excellent day in the field with a bunch of artists talking about fire history in northern New Mexico. Tomorrow we’ll discuss suppression, forest management, and how changing climate is making our landscapes more flammable.

New article alert 🚨 for the #FireEcology Journal! "The state of the giant sequoias: losses, risks, and opportunities" #SNFECO 🔥Read it here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42408-026-00469-5

Heading to Taos to take 12 artists to the field with some colleagues and teach them about fire in northern NM. Grateful for the potential precip, but it would have been nice if this were coming in Feb and Mar.

Cars heading westbound idling at $4.09/gal. I covered the 3 miles in 11 mins for $0.10/mile and that accounts for every penny I’ve spent on this bike. Plus I get to eat cheesecake tonight.

In an attempt to branch out from only having hobbies that can land me in the emergency room, I’m learning how to turn wood. Spalted tamarind and olive.

If you want to view the Artemis II gallery, please go here: www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-m... A fave of mine so far is Mission Specialist Koch looking back at the Earth. The first woman on a lunar mission looking back at the mother of all humans. www.nasa.gov/image-detail...

Albuquerque had *by far* the hottest March on record, beating the old record by 6.5°. The average temperature was 4.5° warmer than *April's* average. 13 of the 31 days broke record high temperatures. #NMwx

The National Weather Service is warning of a significant fire weather pattern that will begin developing this weekend and extend through next week. The public is strongly advised to avoid all fire-related activities, as conditions will continue to be conducive to rapid fire growth:

The only way things get better is when a majority of people in the US stop being tribal and start being thoughtful. Pull your face away from your screen and try doing something helpful for someone you don’t know.