Backcountry Analytics

The Forest Service just proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, citing wildfire risk. We tested that claim against 41 years of fire perimeter data and found no statistically significant evidence the rule is contributing to the wildfire increase.

Ski Apache sees more than double its normal snowfall in El Niño years — but it's a low-snow desert range. Filter to resorts with a real snow base and the picture flips: northern resorts lose far more than southern resorts ever gain.

Corner crossing lets hunters and hikers step between public parcels at a shared corner — without touching private land. We mapped 4,180 potential crossings in Montana, just as BHA and PLWA filed suit against FWP to cement the practice's legality and unlock 871,000 acres of public land.

An interactive choropleth map showing peak snow water equivalent for every HUC8 watershed across the West from 1982 to 2025. Step through each year, filter by ENSO phase, and see how La Niña and El Niño imprint on regional snowpack patterns.

We paired April 1 SWE against wildfire acres across 265 HUC8 watersheds over 40 years. Snowpack is a real but weak signal — and 2006 shows exactly why high snowpack is not a green light.