Smokey Bear turns 80 this year. Did he help prevent forest fires?

The longest-running public service announcement in the U.S. turns 80 years old today.

Its message is simple and one you’ve heard many times before: “Only you can prevent wildfires.” Smokey Bear, the beloved park ranger hat-wearing black bear who utters these famous words has undergone a complicated evolution. And his birthday comes as fires rage in California, Colorado and other Western states .

On average, some 70,000 wildfires have been documented every year in the U.S. since 1983, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center.

Human-caused climate change has made these fires more intense and dangerous, but it isn’t the only factor: Federal data and various independent studies show that around 80% of all wildfires in the country are caused by humans , making Smokey’s message more relevant than ever. So we’re taking a look back at how Smokey Bear’s mission came to be and how effective his messaging has been. How World War II influenced Smokey Bear’s creation Smokey Bear’s public service ad was created at the height of World War II in 1944.

The U.S. Forest Service had been fighting forest fires for years, but the attack on Pearl Harbor brought a greater need for fire safety messaging, as firefighters were deployed overseas.

“When this campaign first launched, it was in the context of our war efforts, and the forests were seen as a resource in that context,” said Tracy Danicich, director of the Smokey Bear campaign at the Ad Council. Japanes.