WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 091809

As temperatures go up over the weekend, firefighters in Southern California's Angeles National Forest have pushed back the containment date for the Station Fire to next Tuesday, our first wildfire story today; followed by one that details how California Senators Feinstein and Boxer, along with Representatives Schiff and Mack, are lobbying the US government for a national arson database, similar to one already employed in the state of California. As plans are laid for rehabilitation of the Angeles National Forest following the wildfires there, some background material on the Tree People, a nonprofit that replants trees in burn areas, is provided by a press release; and the Arbor Day Foundation, which has helped replant 8 million trees across the US, is profiled in the next article. Firefighters in Oroville, California, quickly doused a small wildfire yesterday. Stimulus funds should enable Oregon to put 150 people to work clearing vegetation to reduce the fire hazard in that state; but firefighters and farmers in Greeley, Colorado, are clashing over ditch fires. Although firefighters in Montana quickly doused a small wildfire, residents took time to reevaluate their wildfire plans; while the usefulness of wildland fires in restoring forests is explored in an article from the Bitterroot National Forest. The bizarre tale of a firefighting IL-78 operated by Tactical Air Defense Services out of Dennison, Texas, that was impounded in Michigan, is provided by our next article. The Northeast Forest Fire Protection Commission, a coalition of fire agencies from New England, examined a CL-415 Super Scooper Thursday in order to become familiar with this aircraft if they ever need to call them in from Canada. In response to a particularly smoky summer in Fairbanks, Alaska, residents are lobbying fire officials to reduce wildfire activity that affects air quality in metropolitan areas. Tree Canada is working with local officials to replant areas burned by the recent wildfires in British Columbia; and while Ontario, Canada, continues to have a quiet fire season, this fact has allowed them to shift an astounding 17,000 pieces of equipment to British Columbia to help fight wildfires that burned there over the past few weeks. An ambitious plan to restore over 2,000 acres of moorland in northern England that has been damaged by wildfires and pollution has been granted a $10 million stipend by the European Union. A judge in Victoria, Australia, is debating whether to grant bail to an accused arsonist; while Queensland's sunshine Coast is facing its worst bushfire danger in a decade; and officials in New South Wales are concerned about their national parks as the bushfire season begins again. And finally, a whodunit is playing out before the Royal Bushfire Commission: the case of the missing power lines!

Containment date pushed back for LA-area wildfire

Lawmakers push for arson registry

Angeles Nat'l Forest Fires Spur Phase II of the CA Wildfire Restoration Initiative

Help Plant Trees in America’s National Forests

Firefighters quickly douse grass fire

Stimulus funds to cut private forest fire danger

Tempers flare in rift between farmers, firefighters

Firefighting crews quickly put down lightning fire

Gird End Fire restoring forest

Soviet Tanker Abandoned in Michigan Not Just an Ilyushin

Tanker Plane Shows Wildfire Fighting Ability

Smoky summer stokes demands for firefighting changes by Interior Alaskans

Media Advisory/Tree Canada: Ceremonial Tree Planting Launches New Program to Aid Fire Affected BC Residents

Campaigners win £5.5m grant to restore damaged peat moorland

Two new forest fires reported in the region

Judge to rule on bail for accused arsonist

Sunshine Coast bushfire warning

No Funds for Bushfire Safety

Mystery of fallen wires