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Wildland firefighters will keep a four-year-old pay hike under a GOP-led spending bill signed by President Donald Trump. But many also worry that mass firings of federal workers will leave the nation more susceptible to wildfires. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Wednesday credited Trump for permanent pay increases for wildland firefighters.

The initiative is designed to mitigate fire risk, but some residents say the work is drastic, and needs more community input.

The hiring freeze, along with layoffs of U.S. Forest Service workers tasked with mitigation, could leave the state less prepared for the rapidly approaching peak wildfire months. Listen to "Morning Edition" host Michael Lyle, Jr. discuss this story with Colorado Sun editor Lance Benzel and then read The Colorado Sun story at the link below.

Though considered a "last resort," more companies are making the decision to cut power when they fear weather conditions could make a wildfire more likely.

Preventing wildfires seems like a never-ending battle in Colorado. Now cities across the Front Range have a secret weapon – herds of goats that graze on dense brush before it becomes fuel for fires. We hear more about this innovative approach on today’s episode of In The NoCo.

The program is a partnership between the Western Colorado Conservation Corps, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service. It prepares young women for wildland firefighting jobs with federal agencies.

Wildfire risk continues to impact tens of thousands of people in Northern Colorado. On today's episode of In the NoCo, we hear from a wildfire economist with Colorado State University about the risks homeowners face – and what people can do to protect their property.

Wildfire mitigation has big financial and environmental costs. KUNC's Emma VandenEinde says an ecological alternative is sprouting in Boulder.

After a relatively slow start, the fire season in the United States is now in full swing. With dozens of uncontrolled large fires burning across the country, the news is again full of images of homes and other structures reduced to blackened foundations. At a demonstration garden in southwest Idaho, one group hopes to educate homeowners and others on the many steps that can be taken to prepare their property for wildfires.

Advocates are hopeful that a legislative fix will come in time to avoid pay cuts, but for now thousands of federal firefighters are out on the line with the Sept. 30 deadline fast approaching.