Program

Truth & Accountability

Investigations into delayed response, incentive structures, and the strategies chosen when a fire starts.

6 Documents published in this program Research archive
6 Research items published Research archive
0 Resources available Resource library

When a fire is allowed to burn, someone decided that. This program reconstructs those decisions from the documentary record and publishes what the record shows — including where it stops.

What we do

Decision reconstruction

We obtain decision memos, incident action plans, and cost filings, then rebuild the timeline of what was chosen and when.

Incentive analysis

Suppression budgets, contractor structures, and staffing models create incentives. We document how those incentives shape outcomes.

Response-time accounting

Initial attack windows are short and consequential. We measure them against the record rather than the press release.

Correction and follow-through

We publish updates when an agency responds, and dated corrections when we get something wrong.

Research in this program

All Truth & Accountability research

Stories & analysis

All stories
Analysis

Ted Stubblefield: Another Giant Gone

Ted Stubblefield, longtime U.S. Forest Service leader and Evergreen Foundation board member, dies at 85. A legacy of forest management, wildfire leadership, and advocacy.

Truth & Accountability
Analysis

From the Vault: William Derr

A retired Forest Service employee raised serious concerns about the Station Fire review — incomplete interviews, management failures, and employee retaliation fears. The agency's response? Case closed.

Truth & Accountability PDF

Next step

If you have documents or first-hand knowledge of a wildfire decision, we want to hear from you.

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