In this episode, I interview Sam Forstag, a former Missoula-based Forest Service smokejumper and union local vice president now running for Congress in Montana’s 1st District, motivated by DOGE-related cuts that fired many of his co-workers and by frustration with Rep. Ryan Zinke’s lack of response. Forstag shares his upbringing, education at the University of Montana, and eight years in firefighting, arguing that gutting agencies leads to privatization, higher costs, and weaker public-land stewardship. Our conversation covers money in politics, Citizens United, tax-code inequities, and healthcare. We debate and discuss public lands issues around wildfire strategy, WUI priorities, fuels work, NEPA timelines and staffing, logging versus local milling capacity, roadless-rule repeal, and the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act.
“Fuel Reduction” Logging Exacerbates Wildfire Effects and Puts Communities at Greater Risk
Rising wildfire risk to houses in the United States, especially in grasslands and shrublands
Home hardening and defensible space can halve wildfire damage, study finds
Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act
03:55 DOGE Cuts Spark Campaign
06:57 Unionizing The Forest Service
09:49 Organizing Spreads To NPS
13:56 Money In Politics
17:19 Healthcare Medicare Choice
22:22 Why Run For Congress
26:31 Life As A Smokejumper
28:31 Letting Fire Burn
31:42 WUI Home Hardening Debate
33:09 Fuels Work And Logging Nuance
36:26 Fuels Treatments
38:03 Home Hardening
41:33 WUI Definition
44:48 NEPA Timelines and Courts
53:18 Local Timber Milling
01:01:00 Restoration Jobs With NREPA
01:04:24 Roadless Rule Under Threat
