Environment

Mainstays of rural American culture and economy – such as timber, agriculture, tourism, ranching, hunting, fishing, winter sports – could see major disruptions from climate change. The impact will be big enough to disrupt the national…

Forest-management techniques could reduce the severity of catastrophic wildfires before they start. But there's currently no reliable way to pay for those activities. Two Western nonprofits grapple with building economies that support…

Conservationists have had a hard time making fire-management forestry pay for itself through business startups. But public support for fire mitigation could pay big economic benefits down the road.

Wildfires are burning hotter and faster, taking more lives and destroying more property. Climate change and human development patterns are only making the problem worse. So what can forest communities do to reduce their risk? Or, as one…

The Lexington Herald-Leader, West Virginia Public Broadcasting and Charleston Gazette-Mail began publishing a series yesterday called Stirring the Waters, which explores why so many residents of Central Appalachia lack what many in the rest…

Our simplistic images of the diverse Amish community cloud the reality of their views about environmental topics. If the earth is transient and under the dominion of human beings, why worry about pollution?

For every AR-15 wielding militia member or rancher angrily shaking his fist at the federal government, there’s likely a dozen rural residents working peacefully and effectively to improve their communities and change public policy. A…

An analysis shows that a relatively minor investment in retraining coal workers would qualify them to switch to solar-related jobs with potentially better salaries.