USFS | The Filson Journal

A Short History of U.S. Fire Lookouts

Will Kutscher — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 18:34:34 +0000

Fire lookouts have long held an important service to our forests and communities. While technology advancements help make spotting fires easier, 150+ fire lookouts are still actively manned in the U.S. today. Learn more about their history here

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Trent Peterson: The Way Forward

Angela Becia — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 07:00:40 +0000

During a trip to the Sierra Nevada's in 2015 he first set his eyes on the mountains he now calls home while scouting the area for a planned horse traverse of the PCT. He settled into an area next to the Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, where he often gone for weeks at a time working as a Forest Service Packer and lives a mountain man way of life, living and packing in the mountains in the summer, and building lightweight packer saddles in the winter.

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The Woman on the Mountain: Christine Estrada

Angela Becia — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 22:27:35 +0000

Christine Estrada, a fire lookout, having visited 93 of the remaining lookouts across Washington State, works tirelessly during fire season to spot, report and communicate with fire teams on the ground, reducing the impact of wildfires in the Methow Valley.

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We Helped Restore a Forest Service Lookout Tower That Was Almost Consumed by Flames

Angela Becia — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 22:41:21 +0000

A team of eager and passionate Filson employees, together with the National Forest Foundation, were wrapping up a restoration project at First Butte lookout tower, the fourth tower our team has volunteered to help restore. As we were putting the final touches on the tower, we received the news that a new wildfire had started near the site.

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A Short History of Helicopter Logging

Angela Becia — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 21:19:49 +0000

The practice of helicopter logging is still employed in parts of the world today, including the US and Canada. Often the USFS will use it to thin forest lands in the wildland-urban interface near cities and towns to mitigate wildfire danger. Several logging companies employ it to target specific types of wood and to work in rugged, steep mountainous slopes.

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How to Buy a Fire Lookout Tower

Will Kutscher — Wed, 26 May 2021 14:25:35 +0000

If you’ve ever seen a fire lookout tower and thought to yourself, “I wish I had one of those,” that dream might not be as far from reality as you first thought. Whether you’re looking for a unique get-away, or maybe even a new cabin, we break-down how to go about finding and potentially buying a surplus lookout.

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Something Worth Saving: Fire Lookout Restored by Logging Town Community

Angela Becia — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 20:41:24 +0000

As you climb up the tower steps, layers of jagged peaks within Washington’s Cascade Range emerge in every direction. Below, wild river valleys carve through the sea of forests around the small town of Darrington. The million-dollar view from the historic North Mountain Lookout was once used by the Forest Service to spot fires, but the structure fell into disrepair once technology and other fire detection methods took its place. Now a small group of dedicated locals are on a mission to restore the abandoned piece of history sitting on top of North Mountain.

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Filson x White’s Boots: Unfailing Quality Built on Legacy

Will Kutscher — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 00:53:08 +0000

Modeled after the boots worn by USFS hotshots, Filson and white’s boots have teamed up to build a limited-edition boot: the fire hybrid. Manufactured in Spokane by white’s using our tough tin cloth, they're a perfect pairing of two iconic pacific northwestern brands, each with over 120 years of experience constructing unfailing gear. We sat down with white’s boots president, Eric Kinney to learn more about white's legacy of craftsmanship.

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History of America’s Wild Horses

Angela Becia — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 20:22:51 +0000

The wild horses of the West have occupied the minds of people here since they were reintroduced to the North American continent by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. These first mustangs (from the Spanish mestengo, which means “ownerless beast” or “stray horse”) were the predecessors of the wild horses that roam the desert and grassland ecosystems of the Midwest and Western United States today.

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Filson and The Forest Service

Angela Becia — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 21:39:10 +0000

Because of our shared history in the wildlands of America and mutual need for tough gear in remote places, Filson and the U.S. Forest Service have been likely partners since we were both founded (1897 and 1905, respectively). As the Klondike Gold Rush ended, Filson found new customers in the loggers and workers of the Pacific Northwest, many of whom would become or were members of the Forest Service.

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