Headline: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/19/2025
Andrew Montequin reports:
U.S. Reps. Tom Tiffany and Glenn Grothman, and Wisconsin state Rep. Calvin Callahan, all Republicans, recently voiced concerns about wildfire smoke this summer — Tiffany and Grothman in a letter to Canada’s ambassador, and Callahan in a formal complaint to U.S. and international agencies. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) complained to the Canadian ambassador about the impact of wildfire smoke on Wisconsin air quality.
All of them put the blame for smoky summers solely on wildfire management policies. Any mentions of climate change were noticeably absent.
A 2022 report from the International Panel on Climate Change concluded with high confidence that human-caused climate change has led to more favorable wildfire conditions in North America. More evidence came in 2023, when early snow melt drove a record-breaking wildfire season in Canada.
Numerous Canadian officials have blamed the situation on climate change, some noting that the United States is the largest cumulative emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, while Canada is a relatively smaller contributor. Forest management policies can minimize the risk that wildfires pose to lives and property.
But regular fires are important in many forest ecosystems. And with the scale of Canada's western forests, preventing fires is all but impossible. [emphasis added]
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