One of Vicki Christiansen's first jobs in her career as a wildland firefighter was helping to reforest the blast zone around Mount St. Helen's after the Washington volcano's 1980 eruption. Years later, Christiansen found herself helping commercially thin the same forests she worked to establish 25 years earlier. In a nearly 40-year career, Christiansen has seen wildfires get more severe and deployments get longer and more dangerous.
Because she has worked at the local, state and now federal level, she said she can see innovative ways the different branches can work together.
"My time in Arizona really was instrumental in how we help steward all of our forest lands throughout this nation," she said.
Christiansen said her experiences helped her learn "all the tactics and the strategy of wildland fire" and how those have changed. And those who have worked with her agree.