Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Wildfires are getting bigger, more intense, and hitting communities harder than ever. In this Jessica Catto Dialogue, presented by the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), fire historian Dr. Stephen Pyne and fire scientist Dr. Jennifer Balch explain why megafires are exploding across the West—and what we can actually do about them.
Expect a clear look at recent Colorado fires (East Troublesome, Marshall, Grizzly Creek), the long history of fire suppression vs. Indigenous burning, how climate change is stretching fire season into winter, the role of homes and invasive grasses as fuel, and practical solutions: hardening houses, prescribed fire, better land-use planning, and bringing “good fire” back to the landscape.
Whether you live in the wildland-urban interface or just want to understand the new fire age we’re living in, this conversation delivers history, science, and real hope for communities on the front lines.
Know Aspen. Watch GrassRoots.
GrassRoots programming is made possible by the producers' creativity itself, direct contributions from viewers, members of the Roaring Fork Valley community, and through grants from the Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund, The Town of Snowmass Village, the City of Aspen Community Non-Profit Grant Program, and The Aspen Thrift Shop.
Founded by citizens of Aspen, Colorado in 1972, GrassRoots TV is the first and oldest community operated and programmed open-source media center and television station in the United States. Virtually all of the programming is created by local residents, occasionally with world renown guests.
In partnership with the American Archive of Public Media and the Library of Congress, GrassRoots is currently cataloguing, restoring and digitally archiving 700 of the most at-risk original video programs out of its 45,000 title Community Video Archive.
Help sustain this community treasure by donating now! Go to:
bit.ly/GRTVContribute
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, HIT LIKE and leave a COMMENT to let us know if you enjoyed this video, it is important to us and the community for you to become part of the conversation. Thanks for tuning in!
Download the GrassRoots Community Network iOS and Android apps
Subscribe for more videos: bit.ly/2Ycpi4P
Facebook: facebook.com/GrassRootsCommunityNetwork
Twitter: twitter.com/grassrootstv
Web: grassrootstv.org
Wildfires are getting bigger, more intense, and hitting communities harder than ever. In this Jessica Catto Dialogue, presented by the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), fire historian Dr. Stephen Pyne and fire scientist Dr. Jennifer Balch explain why megafires are exploding across the West—and what we can actually do about them.
Expect a clear look at recent Colorado fires (East Troublesome, Marshall, Grizzly Creek), the long history of fire suppression vs. Indigenous burning, how climate change is stretching fire season into winter, the role of homes and invasive grasses as fuel, and practical solutions: hardening houses, prescribed fire, better land-use planning, and bringing “good fire” back to the landscape.
Whether you live in the wildland-urban interface or just want to understand the new fire age we’re living in, this conversation delivers history, science, and real hope for communities on the front lines.
Know Aspen. Watch GrassRoots.
GrassRoots programming is made possible by the producers' creativity itself, direct contributions from viewers, members of the Roaring Fork Valley community, and through grants from the Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund, The Town of Snowmass Village, the City of Aspen Community Non-Profit Grant Program, and The Aspen Thrift Shop.
Founded by citizens of Aspen, Colorado in 1972, GrassRoots TV is the first and oldest community operated and programmed open-source media center and television station in the United States. Virtually all of the programming is created by local residents, occasionally with world renown guests.
In partnership with the American Archive of Public Media and the Library of Congress, GrassRoots is currently cataloguing, restoring and digitally archiving 700 of the most at-risk original video programs out of its 45,000 title Community Video Archive.
Help sustain this community treasure by donating now! Go to:
bit.ly/GRTVContribute
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, HIT LIKE and leave a COMMENT to let us know if you enjoyed this video, it is important to us and the community for you to become part of the conversation. Thanks for tuning in!
Download the GrassRoots Community Network iOS and Android apps
Subscribe for more videos: bit.ly/2Ycpi4P
Facebook: facebook.com/GrassRootsCommunityNetwork
Twitter: twitter.com/grassrootstv
Web: grassrootstv.org
