WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 012712

Santa Ana winds will gain strength overnight, increasing the wildfire danger across Southern California this weekend (1). An Arizona state senator, fed up with federal missteps in managing their forests, is arguing that the state should take over responsibility for wildfire mitigation in national forests (2); while firefighters from Sonora, Mexico, are receiving wildfire training in Nogales (3). Having already suffered $1.8 million in damages from wildfires, officials in Edmond, Oklahoma, are advising homeowners to be Firewise this winter (4); and in the Texas Panhandle, National Ranching Heritage Center will be hosting a panel on prescribed burns and wildfires Saturday (5). Firefighters are considering setting wildfires on between 900 and 1,500 acres in Pennsylvania's Poconos to rejuvenate the area (6); while the New York Times weighs in on the Department of Agriculture's new blueprint for America's forests (7). Florida Forest Service is warning homeowners about the wildfire danger posed by burning debris this winter (8); something echoed by officials at the Withlacoochee Forestry Center (9); and emphasized by a 14-acre wildfire that briefly threatened homes in Lehigh Acres on Thursday (10); as well as the 110-acre Bennett Swamp Fire near Ormond Beach (11); and a 15-acre blaze near Leisure Lakes (12). As many other countries have discovered, education is key to preventing wildfires in Israel, a theme repeated at the 'Climate Change and Forest Fires in the Mediterranean Basin' conference (13); and an Israeli fire chief will be speaking in Staten Island, New York, in February on the topic of the devastating wildfire which ripped through Carmel Forest near Haifa in 2010 (14). Farmers in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana lost dozens of bags of grain to bushfires believed to have been set by hunters (15). A wind-driven wildfire blazed across Sichuan province in southwest China (16); even as 3,000 firefighters continued to grapple with another blaze outside of Lijiang, in Yunnan province (17). Approximately 10 ha of trees were destroyed by a wildfire sparked by fireworks in Pangasinan, Philippines (18). The mayor of Murrindindi, Victoria, asked the Australian Prime Minister to stop dwelling on the Black Saturday disaster because it was hampering recovery in bushfire-hit towns (19); while Crime Stoppers Victoria used a traveling roadshow to educate residents of Healesville about how to spot bushfire arsonists (20). Quick work by firefighters contained a small bushfire burning near Ludlow, Western Australia (21); even as firefighters were mopping up bushfires outside of Gracetown and Busselton (22); but tourists attempting to leave Gascoyne because of an oncoming cyclone have their path blocked by bushfires burning near the main highway (23). And finally, firefighters in Massachusetts had an unusual extrication to perform: getting a youngster's hand out of a vending machine!

(1) WILDFIRE WARNING: Fierce winds, low humidity hit SoCal

(2) Lawmaker: In face of fire threat, state, counties deserve sovereignty over forests

(3) Sonoran firefighters get U.S. training

(4) Firefighters urge Edmond residents to prepare for wildfire season

(5) Panel schedules discussion of prescribed burns and wildfires

(6) Bethlehem water agency considers controlled burns

(7) How to Manage U.S. Forests, Version 3.1

(8) Residents urged to be cautious while burning trash, debris this winter

(9) Forestry Center warns of high wildfire risk

(10) Controlled burns help to control brush fires

(11) Firefighters work to knock down smoke on State Road 40 near Ormond Beach

(12) Wildfire contained in Leisure Lakes

(13) 'Education a vital tool in fire prevention'

(14) Israeli fire chief to speak at Staten Island's Congregation B' nai Israel

(15) Farmers’ toil erased by Bushfire

(16) Hundreds Battle Second Forest Fire in SW China

(17) Forest fire continues to burn in China

(18) Fire hits forest in Pangasinan

(19) Fire-hit towns try to shed the past

(20) Fire show at Queen's Park

(21) Quick response contains Ruabon fire

(22) Firefighters mop up south-west bushfires

(23) Cyclone, bushfires threaten WA

(24) Mass. firefighters rescue girl stuck in machine

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 012612

The Southern California arsonist who started 2003's Old Fire in San Bernardino County is considering changing his plea (1); but fire chiefs in Santa Barbara County are concerned that California's new $150 fire fee for homes in State Responsibility Areas (which include 20,000 in that county) may not fund fire protection (2); and a new study by the Ecological Society of America points to car and industrial emissions as a factor in the expansion of invasive grasses that fuel wildfires across the California deserts (3); while the next article takes a closer look at CAL FIRE's growing overtime pay problem (4). In the aftermath of a 1,300-acre wildfire in Grant County, New Mexico, fire officials reminded residents of that state of the high fire danger (5); and public input is being sought in a series of Community Wildfire Protection Plan meetings in Mesa County, Colorado (6). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Dan Snyder, President of Montana-based air-tanker giant Neptune Aviation, comments on the US Forest Service's request that their aircraft be ready for an early fire season in the following press release (7). As swamp fires continue to smolder outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, the next article takes a look at the persistence of these wildfires (8); while in Washington, DC, the Secretary of Agriculture unveiled new forest rules which will dictate how 193 million acres of US forest land will be protected and utilized (9). A total of 2,500 firefighters, police officers, and soldiers are battling a 45-hectare wildfire burning in southwest China's Yunnan Province (10). A bushfire was reported in the Shire of Irwin, Western Australia (11); and another was apparently sparked by lightning near Gingin (12); but although firefighters have finally corralled a bushfire burning just outside the City of Wanneroo, multiple bushfire warnings remain in place elsewhere in the state (13). And finally, our last article asks the question: can massive wildfires make big government attractive?

(1) Man charged in Old fire may change plea related to 2003 blaze

(2) Fire Chiefs Seeing Red

(3) Car emissions may fuel desert forest fires

(4) Firefighter overtime in California so abundant it is hurting management ranks

(5) Officials warn of high wildfire danger in southwest New Mexico

(6) Public Opinion Encouraged in Countywide Wildfire Planning Meetings

(7) Neptune Aviation Accelerates Air Tanker Readiness For Predicted Early 2012 Wildland Fire Season

(8) Swampy fires festering on New Orleans' edge may take months to lay low

(9) APNewsBreak: US to unveil new forest rules

(10) 2,500 Battling Mountain Forest Fire in SW China

(11) Bushfire advice for Arrowsmith, affecting Brand Highway and Indian Ocean Drive

(12) Bushfire Advice after lightning strikes start fire near Gingin

(13) Watch alert on fires

(14) Why Climate Change Will Make You Love Big Government

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 012512

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tom Eversole, Executive Director of the American Helicopter Services and Aerial Firefighting Association, commented on the projected early start to the wildfire season due to unusually low rainfall totals across the US this year (1). At the Tangent Link Aerial Firefighting Conference and Exhibition, in Sacramento, California, Canadian air-tanker purveyor Conair announced that it will be marketing the AVRO RJ85 jet aircraft as the next generation heavy air-tanker (2); while officials in Clackamas County, Oregon, will be hosting a meeting to discuss their Community Wildfire Protection Plan in February (3). A homeowner has admitted he may have started the massive Reno, Nevada, wildfire which destroyed over two dozen homes last week (4); and a meeting will be held tomorrow in Arizona's Prescott Fire Center to provide information for vendors hoping to work with US Forest Service during the 2012 fire season (5). Scientists from USDA's Agricultural Research Services in Utah revealed that Kochia prostrata, a nutritious forage crop, is also wildfire resistant (6); while Texas Forest Service awarded $10,000 to Liberty County to help in preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (7). An Op-Ed piece from Montana discusses wildfires in Glacier National Park (8). Although Arkansas's governor agreed to sign a bill which would increase forest owner taxes as a means to reinstate 36 forestry jobs, he doubted that it would pass the Legislature (9); but the value of controlled burns in reducing out-of-control wildfires was discussed by firefighters who set a 1,700 acre blaze in Pinnacle Mountain State Park (10). US Forest Service plans to conduct 1,200 acres worth of controlled burns in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest (11); while an arson investigator has been dispatched to determine the cause of a 20-hectare bushfire burning near Te Kao, New Zealand (12). An Op-Ed piece rails at Australian scientists for blaming Victorian native forest logging for worsening bushfires (13); but people recognized for heroic deeds during the Black Saturday bushfires will receive commendations from Australia's Prime Minister during Australia Day ceremonies in Canberra on Thursday (14). A bushfire cut off access to Gracetown, Western Australia, yesterday, threatening homes (15); even as a 6-hectare bushfire burning near Ludlow was contained (16); while fire alerts remained in place in the southwest (17); but in the aftermath of major bushfires in Gascoyne, landowners are adding up the losses (18); nevertheless, the government refuses to declare the area a disaster zone, denying emergency funding to pastoralists hard hit by the blazes (19). And finally, as the saying goes, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", in this case of a firefighting job!

(1) Aerial Firefighters Gearing Up For The 2012 Wildland Forest Fire Season

(2) Conair and Falko Sign AVRO RJ85 Airtanker Marketing Agreement

(3) County to host meeting on wildfire management plan progress

(4) Nevada man admits to sparking Reno wildfire

(5) Forest Service meeting Thursday to help fire vendors

(6) Finding new forages for rangeland cattle

(7) County receives $10,000 from state for wildfire prevention

(8) Worrying about weather, floods and fires

(9) Beebe says he’d sign forest tax hike but doubts it would pass

(10) Controlled burns prevent wildfires

(11) Forest Service to Conduct Prescribed Burn on Bearpen Mountain

(12) UPDATED: Investigator on way to Far North fire

(13) Logging and bushfires

(14) Disaster heroes to be recognised

(15) Bushfire cuts off Gracetown, threatens homes

(16) Ludlow bushfire contained


(17) SW remains on fire alert

(18) Landowner takes 'big hit' from bushfires

(19) Call to declare Gascoyne disaster zone rejected

(20) Woman To Sue City Of Carlsbad Over Firefighting Job

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 012412

In Texas, the House Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee is exploring how much damage has been done to the tourist trade by damage from the 2011 wildfires (1); but as the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression fire chief retired on Monday, he looked back on a 36-year career in the fire service (2). The Arkansas legislature is taking a closer look at planned cuts which eliminated 36 jobs from the Arkansas Forestry Division (3). In Africa, Gambia's Anti-Bush Fire Campaign Committee has successfully completed a week of training in the West Coast Region (4); but forest fire activity in South Africa's Western Cape in 2005 may have an impact on a forestry operation in the area (5). A 20-hectare bushfire burning near Te Kao, New Zealand, drew the attention of a pair of firefighting helicopters as well as firefighters on the ground (6). With the official commencement of the bushfire season in Victoria, Australia, residents are advised to be on the lookout for bushfire arsonists as part of the Crime Stoppers program (7); however, bushfire survivors denounced graphic bushfire warning commercials aired by the state government (8); nevertheless, an editorial cites the importance of a bushfire escape plan (9); while hundreds of thousands of Victorians may be in the dark as a new power blackout plan to better control bushfires is put into place (10). A study from New South Wales shows that bushfires are critical to the ecosystem supporting dry sclerophyll forests (11). A 50-hectare bushfire burning near the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River in Western Australia has been contained (12); and a 10-hectare bushfire burning near Boyanup is now under control (13); but Chidlow and Mundaring residents had to flee as a bushfire threatened their homes (14). And finally, just like their counterparts in the military who toss a grenade into a room before entering, firefighters in Saskatchewan, Canada, will be using a new high-tech firefighting grenade to reduce fire temperatures in a room by up to 700°!

(1) Drought, wildfires take toll on Texas tourism

(2) Wildland fire suppression division chief retires

(3) Lawmakers eye restoring firefighter positions at forestry agency

(4) Gambia: Anti-Bush Fire Campaign Ends in WCR

(5) Timber supply hurt by fire

(6) Crews continue to fight Far North fire

(7) Bushfire season sparks arson alert

(8) Grief flares with bushfire ads

(9) Bushfire escape plan crucial

(10) Blackout trigger primed

(11) Planned burning can't replace bushfires

(12) Bushfire information for Gracetown

(13) Bushfire under control at Boyanup

(14) Chidlow residents flee bushfire

(15) New firefighting tool introduced

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 012312

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Chuck Bushey, Past-President of the International Association of Wildland Fire, sent along a call for papers for an upcoming symposium on model performance in fire prevention this coming May (1); while Mussey Grade Road Alliance is asking for a public hearing on San Diego Gas & Electric's plan to bill customers for 2007 wildfire losses in Southern California (2). Researchers at the US Forest Service's Agricultural Research Service in Burns, Oregon, are studying best practices in reseeding arid rangeland in the western US after wildfires (3); but environmentalists are clashing with folks in the town of Darrington, Washington, over restoration of a historic fire lookout tower (4). A 3,200-acre wildfire which blazed through Reno's outskirts, destroying 29 homes in the process, has finally been contained (5); FEMA agreeing to pay 75% of the fire suppression bill (6); but an editorial says that wildfire is a wake-up call for Eastern Arizona (7). Fire crews were keeping an eye on a one-acre wildfire burning southwest of Colorado Springs on Sunday (8); while the thinner-than-average snowfall already has fire officials in Glenwood Springs thinking about wildfires (9). A 40-acre wildfire was reported in Norman, Oklahoma, on Sunday (10); and FEMA's Assistance to Firefighter Grants program awarded $14,000 to Massachusetts forest wardens, allowing them to purchase a much-needed brush truck (11); while an article from New Jersey takes a look at the interaction between forest destruction through wildfires and eventual regrowth (12). Florida Forest Service announced that a wildfire which burned over 427 acres in Lafayette County is now 100% contained (13); meanwhile, a $1,000 reward is being offered for information about suspicious wildfires that have been cropping up in Washington County (14). A 30-acre wildfire that broke out on Maui, Hawaii, has been contained (15); but officials in Chile fear that it could take 80 years for picturesque Torres del Paine National Park to recover from the ravages of recent wildfires (16). The cost of suppressing a 350-hectare bushfire in New Zealand has been pegged at $650,000 (17); while a contingent of visiting US firefighters provided some tips on rural firefighting to Department of Conservation personnel (18). In the wake of Victoria, Australia's, admission that it had not reached its vegetation removal goal, dozens of towns may be in jeopardy from bushfires (19); and with half the bushfires in that state being deliberately set, fire officials warned homeowners in Maroondah and the Yarra Ranges to be on the alert (20); even as the Bushfire Response Minister planned to cut several bushfire building advisor positions deemed to be redundant (21). A bushfire was reported near Chidlow, east of Perth, Western Australia (22); and seven lightning-sparked bushfires have converged into one complex in the Gascoyne region (23); while a rugby team is helping raise funds for Margaret River after bushfires ravaged the town (24). In an Op-Ed piece, a Professor of Environmental Change Biology at the University of Tasmania ponders the possibility that Hobart could be the scene of a future bushfire disaster (25). And finally, a new study showed an unexpected consequence of Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires: an increase in domestic violence!

(1) National Symposium on Model Performance in Fire Prevention

(2) Group Wants Public Hearings On SDG&E Wildfire Costs

(3) Helping rangelands recover from fire damage

(4) The logging town of Darrington, Wash., fights to save a fire lookout

(5) Reno wildfire that destroyed 29 homes contained

(6) FEMA authorizes funds for Washoe Fire

(7) Be safe and avoid starting wildfires

(8) Crews Monitoring Small Wildfire

(9) Getting prepared for the upcoming wildfire season

(10) Wildfire contained in Norman; firefighters battled high winds, dry vegetation

(11) Forest wardens will use $14K grant on equipment for brush fire truck

(12) Opinion: Good stewards of our forests take cues from Mother Nature

(13) L.A. Bennett Wildfire now 100 percent contained

(14) Authorities Seek Information on ‘Suspicious' Sunny Hills Wildfires

(15) UPDATE: Kahikinui Brush Fire Burns 30 Acres, 100% Contained

(16) Recovery from Forest Fire Could Take 80 Years

(17) Horeke fire costs soar to $650,000

(18) US fire crew here to learn

(19) State fails to meet fire goal

(20) Bushfire season sparks arson alert

(21) State cuts funds for post bushfire building advisers

(22) Residents warned of fire east of Perth

(23) Gascoyne fire breaks containment lines

(24) Bushfire damage hits home for Force

(25) Will climate change increase bushfires? Not knowing is no excuse for not talking

(26) Black Saturday caused increase in domestic violence, research finds

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 012012

A wind-driven wildfire near Reno, Nevada, scorched 3,900 acres, destroying 26 homes, and forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people (1); but firefighters from California who headed over to Nevada to help were turned away (2); and the wildfire forced Vice President Biden to cut his speech short (3); while PETA offered useful tips for safeguarding animals impacted by the wildfires (4). As firefighters braced for wildfires in the southwestern part of the state, Oklahoma Forestry Services reflected on the 1,745 wildfires it responded to in 2011 (5); the next story discussing how the American Red Cross helped people in that state cope with wildfires in 2011 (6). A photo spread of 40 pictures chronicles the devastation wrought by the Texas wildfires in 2011 (7); where, in addition to money from FEMA, people are also receiving $31 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help with rebuilding (8). Firefighters plan to burn 35,000 acres in Florida's John M. Bethea State Forest and Osceola National Forest (9); but smoke from a wildfire in Lake County forced closure of State Road 46 (10); while a black bear injured in the blaze has gone into hibernation, which will help heal his burned feet (11). After a spate of forest fires escalating tensions between the government of Chile and the indigenous Mapuche Indians, the tug-of-war between indigenous rights and corporate greed was forced into the spotlight (12); but in Indonesia, scientists discovered that Miller's Grizzled Langur, a species of monkey which was thought to be extinct after its habitat had been devastated by wildfires, has simply moved to a new location (13). Australian power utility SP AusNet has decided not to invoke a power shutdown safeguard requested by Victoria's Powerline Bushfire Safety Taskforce (14); while Tasmania Fire Service contained a bushfire that threatened homes near Evandale (15). And finally, we have a mystery on our hands: did a 3,500-year-old cypress tree in Florida spontaneously combust?

(1) 26 homes lost in Reno fire and 2,000 evacuated

(2) Local firefighting team headed for Nevada wildfire turning around

(3) Reno wildfire forces Vice President Joe Biden to cut short appearance

(4) PETA offers urgent information for safeguarding animals during wildfire

(5) Oklahoma Forestry Services battled 1,745 fires in 2011

(6) American Red Cross responded to more than 150 wildfires

(7) Texas wildfires

(8) Texas gets more than $31M HUD grant for wildfires recovery, bulk of money for Bastrop County

(9) Wildfires pose threat this season

(10) Smoke from Lake County wildfires causes accidents

(11) Bear injured in wildfire recovering

(12) Forest fires in Chile stoke tensions over indigenous land rights

(13) Monkey long believed extinct found in Indonesia

(14) Change of power on bushfire-alert days

(15) Evandale bushfire contained

(16) Did the oldest tree east of the Mississippi spontaneously combust?

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 011912

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Chuck Bushey, former President of the International Association of Wildland Fire, sent along a reminder about their upcoming webinar on the latest research from Joint Fire Science Project funded programs (1). In the wake of an agreement between CAL FIRE and the US Forest Service, CAL FIRE will be beefing up its assets in Southern California's San Bernardino National Forest next year (2); but a small wildfire was reported near Manresa State Park campground along the Central Coast yesterday (3); while sealed documents pertaining to a 2007 wildfire in Plumas County are at the center of a court battle in which the US government is claiming private parties owe them more than $700 million (4); and US Forest Service will be conducting controlled burns on 123 acres in South Lake Tahoe (5); while Six Rivers National Forest will be holding orientation for would-be wildland firefighters in the near future (6). National Weather Service forecasters fear that 2012 could be a repeat of 2011 in Arizona, which had its worst fire season ever last year (7); even as firefighters in the Coconino National Forest plan to conduct controlled burns today (8); while Coronado National Forest officials intend to burn about 3,100 acres beginning in February (9). As New Mexico faces another bad fire season, officials from US Forest Service Southwestern Region will be holding meetings at which contractors can learn how to work with the Forest Service on future wildfires (10). Airmen from Colorado's 302nd Airlift Wing remarked on the difficult fire season they had in 2011, hoping that 2012 will be a little quieter (11); where AmeriCorps is working with fire officials to help thin vegetation in Black Forest Regional Park ahead of fire season (12). The next article looks at the plight of volunteer fire departments across Texas, who are seeing the $25 million 2011 state grant budget slashed to only $7 million for 2012 (13); something that will not be well received by cash-strapped East Texas volunteers (14); but the Texas Forest Service is using the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System to augment the number of wildland fire experts across the state (15); while two former volunteer firefighters have been indicted for setting at least three wildfires near Corpus Christi (16). In Missouri, Redings Mill Fire Protection District earned national recognition for a second year in a row from the National Firewise Communities Program for its wildfire preparedness (17). Florida Department of Forestry announced that next week is Prescribed Fire Awareness Week (18); even as firefighters in Volusia County battled a baker's dozen of wildfires, smoke from a 110-acre swamp fire temporarily closed State Route 40 (19); and dry conditions didn't look like they would help the situation in Brevard County anytime soon, either (20); while Florida Fish and Wildlife officials are searching for a badly-burned black bear caught on video near a wildfire burning in Sorrento (21); and a Firewise workshop will take place in Jackson County tonight to help homeowners learn how to better protect their homes from wildfires (22). US Forest Service is in the process of training wildland firefighting brigades for Brazil's Amazon rainforests (23). With hunters and herdsmen setting numerous bushfires in the African nation of Ghana, fire officials are working with police to reduce incidents in the Central Region (24); and firefighters were assisted by helicopters in battling wildfires in South Africa's Western Cape (25). Firefighters battled wildfires which scorched hundreds of acres on the Pacific island of Saipan near Kannat Tabla (26). Victoria's premier reiterated his warning against bushfire complacency, since the Australian bushfire season has 10 more weeks to go (27); while people living in rural areas are being told to prepare for power blackouts during high bushfire danger periods (28); while a Bendigo police officer is set to receive a National Emergency Medal for his work during the Black Saturday bushfires (29). Firefighters were able to contain a bushfire burning in Perth, Western Australia's, northern suburbs (30); while FESA arson inspectors are looking for clues as to who was lighting bushfires in the vicinity of Rockingham yesterday (31). And finally, firefighters in El Cerrito, California, provided a new meaning to the term "steeple-chase"!

(1) Hot off the Press: The Latest Research from the Joint Fire Science Program

(2) Cal Fire Adding Engines, Firefighters

(3) Wildfire doused near Manresa State Park Campground

(4) Sacramento federal judge to decide whether to seal Moonlight fire documents

(5) Prescribed fires planned in Angora area and West Shore

(6) Wildland fire academy orientation next month

(7) Dry La Nina winter could bring another big wildfire season

(8) Slash pile burns on forest near Flagstaff today

(9) Lyle Canyon prescribed fire in Huachuca Mountains to begin February 2012

(10) Officials prepare for busy fire season

(11) 302nd airmen say 2011 was busiest firefighting season

(12) AmeriCorps provides mitigation in Black Forest

(13) Epic Year of Wild Fires End, $18M Slashed from Volunteer Fire Fighter Budget

(14) Equipment-strapped East Texas Volunteer firefighters face uncertain drought and wildfire season

(15) City to lead wildland firefighting efforts

(16) Ingleside firefighters indicted on arson charges

(17) Redings Mill Fire earns national recognition for wildfire preparedness

(18) Next Week is Prescribed Fire Awareness Week

(19) Smoke from swamp fire west of Ormond closes S.R. 40 temporarily

(20) More dry weather increases fire danger

(21) Wildlife officials searching for bear injured in wildfire

(22) Compass Lake in the Hills Hosts Jackson County “Firewise” Workshop Tonight

(23) US Forest Service Trains Fire Brigades in the Brazilian Amazon

(24) Winneba Fire service launches anti-bush fire campaign

(25) Wildfires rage in Western Cape

(26) Bush fire hits Kannat Tabla mountain anew

(27) Premier warns against bushfire complacency

(28) Vital to be ready for a blackout

(29) Black Saturday efforts result in medal honour

(30) Clarkson bushfire now contained

(31) Authorities suspect arson in bushfires

(32) Firefighters subdue man who climbed El Cerrito church bell tower