Four short documentaries about forest fires and those who fight them.

Up In Flames: A History of Fire Fighting in the Forest (1984) documents the development of North American fire detection, communication and fire suppression technology – it explores the impact of Idaho’s 1910 Big Blowup and Oregon’s 1933 Tillamook Burn and their impact on the research and development of fire fighting technology.

The Lookout (2011) is an intimate look into the solitary life, work and environment of one fire lookout in Montana’s Flathead National Forest. As fire lookouts are being replaced by cameras and technology, this is a quiet glimpse into a fading time in fire history.

Wildland Fire, Smokejumping, and the Great Basin Smokejumpers (2012) video was created specifically to teach the public about the work and workings of smokejumpers – and to be able to share the information with visitors to the Smokejumpers’ base when they are in the field and cannot tour visitors through their Boise location.

Forests Under Fire (2012) was created by Northern Arizona University’s Ecological Restoration Institute and explores where we are today and what we should be doing to prevent devastating wildfires, but also why we need fire as a healthy part of our ecology.

Total running time: 81 minutes.

Part of The Center’s BIG IDEA Multidisciplinary Project Forest, Foraging and Fires.