Part 6/9:
Historically, wildfire prevention messaging was tailored around human-caused fires, exemplified by Smokey Bear’s iconic campaign: “Only you can prevent wildfires.” While effective in reducing careless fire setting, the campaign’s scope has become too narrow. Today’s fires are increasingly driven by climate factors, changing landscapes, and accumulated suppression efforts, which result in larger, more destructive wildfires. The existing messaging and management strategies require reevaluation to match the complex realities of modern wildfire behavior.