Living with Fire

In recent years, Northern Minnesota, especially Cook, Lake, and St. Louis Counties, has seen a sharp rise in the frequency, size, and intensity of forest fires. Along with them comes deteriorating air quality caused by wildfire smoke. These are not distant warnings of a changing climate. These are the very real consequences of an environment struggling with human interference, climate change, and forest damage. A warming planet, driven by fossil fuel emissions, has altered our landscape, dried out our forests, fueled our pest outbreaks, and exposed us to more days of choking smoke.

This means we must prepare and adapt to our already-changed environment. It also means we must do everything we can to reduce future climate damage by supporting transitions to cleaner energy. Wildfires will remain part of life in an ever-changing world, but we can still do our part to help reduce their impact.

Climate Change and Fire Conditions

Cook County’s climate is becoming more volatile. Extended droughts, warmer winters, and less predictable precipitation have created prime conditions for large-scale, devastating forest fires. In May 2025, for example, the Brimson complex fire, two large forest fires in nearby St. Louis County burned 37,000 acres and forced the evacuation of around 1,000 homes. The fires caused the death of a beloved sled dog and burned homes and sheds in the Brimson area. Low snowfall, a dry spring, and increased wind speeds helped those fires grow out of control. As of this writing in mid-June, the Brimson fire complex is still burning with 94% containment. Though no longer active or spreading, the spring fire serves as a warning for what may come.

These climate-driven events echo previous disasters, like the Greenwood Fire and multiple Boundary Waters fires in 2021, all worsened by heat, dryness, and human activity. While forest fires have always occurred, their increasing scale and intensity are a new reality we must now face.

Spruce Budworm: A Climate-Fueled Pest

One major factor behind larger fires is the growing population and spread of the spruce budworm. Although the spruce budworm is a native species to Northern Minnesota, it thrives in hot, dry conditions. The population and range of destruction caused by the spruce budworm in recent years can be attributed to climate change. Since 2021, over 1.3 million acres in northeastern Minnesota have been affected by infestations, leaving behind swaths of dead trees that act as kindling.

The large presence of spruce budworm in Northern Minnesota is part of a larger ecological shift. As the climate warms, pests thrive, allowing them to spread faster and forests become more vulnerable. This silent transformation of our woodlands is already making fires more destructive.

Canadian Wildfire Smoke and Public Health

If you’ve spent any time anywhere in the northern part of the United States, you have likely become very familiar with Canadian wildfire smoke. Wildfires in Canada are no longer a distant concern, they are a direct threat to the health of Cook County residents. On May 9, 2025, smoke from fires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba blanketed Northern Minnesota in dense, hazardous air. This was the earliest wildfire smoke has caused air quality warnings for Minnesotans. Another multi-day air quality emergency followed in June with smoke plumes reaching the southeastern United States, and even traveling across the Atlantic and creating air quality issues in western Europe.

This is becoming the norm. In 2021, Canadian fires created a “summer of smoke,” with multiple days of dangerous air extending into central Minnesota. Blue skies turned orange. Healthy air turned harmful. Even if fires don’t reach our homes, their smoke often does—putting young children, older adults, and people with respiratory issues at risk. The summer of 2025 appears to be heading in a similar direction.

Living Safely in a Fire-Prone Region

We cannot reverse climate change overnight, but we can take steps now to protect our communities. Preventing human-caused wildfires is essential. That means following local fire restrictions, being cautious with bonfires and machinery, and never leaving campfires unattended. Smokey Bear’s message is as true as ever: “Only you can prevent wildfires.”

For those living in wooded areas, creating a Fire Defense Space, 30 feet of reduced vegetation around your home, is vital. You can still landscape beautifully using fire-resistant native species like red oak and black-eyed Susans.

Even where and how you park your car can matter: a hot engine on dry grass can start a fire.

While not all forest fires are human-caused wildfires, if we can prevent all of the wildfires from starting, our fire responders can better focus on controlling nature-caused fires to ensure the health and safety of those in the immediate area.

Humans can do even more to help the future of the northwoods thrive through clean energy actions.

Clean Energy: Our Long-Term Fire Prevention Plan

Adapting to climate-driven fire risks is necessary, but so is addressing the root cause. Supporting clean energy is one of the most powerful and effective ways we can reduce future climate change. Investing in renewable energy like solar panels, weatherizing homes, staying conscious of person energy use and environmental impacts, and demanding stronger government policies and support for clean energy will not only reduce global heating, it will also make future wildfires less extreme.

This isn’t an either/or issue. We have passed that point, unfortunately.mWe must adapt now to the climate challenges we face today while also preparing our energy systems to prevent worse impacts tomorrow.

Conclusion

Climate change is no longer a future threat. It’s here. And it is reshaping life in Cook County with more fires, more smoke, and more ecological and economical consequences. But we are not powerless to reverse it! Through smarter forest management, responsible fire safety, community adaptation, and strong support for clean energy, we can protect our homes and health while shaping a safer future for the next generation of Cook County residents.

The time to act isn’t someday. It’s now. Visit our homepage for a list of programs and ideas to help you personally reduce your carbon footprint and make your home a greener place for yourself and future generations.