WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 013111

CAL FIRE firefighters in San Diego County, California, will be conducting controlled burns in Pine Valley through the middle of this week (1); and the spring wildfire forecast for that region, as a La Niña settles in, is provided by the next item from KPBS (2). An innovative approach by a California ecologist to dealing with Sudden Oak Death disease may involve the use of controlled burns in oak groves (3); but as homeowners whose homes were destroyed in Colorado's Fourmile Canyon Fire wrangle with insurance companies over settlements, only 10 of the 169 households have filed rebuilding permits so far (4). As Oklahoma burned over the weekend, fire agencies in Arkansas nervously watched as conditions worsened there as well (5); while an environmentalist lawsuit aimed at stalling the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve clear-cutting project in South Dakota has been dismissed by the judge (6). A 16-acre wildfire in Florida's Collier County over the weekend is being labeled as suspicious by the Caloosahatchee Forestry Center (7); and Costa Rica's Comision Nacional de Incendios Foresales conducted training of nearly 200 firefighting personnel as their summer fire season begins (8). Children in the UK got involved in helping Israel replace some of the trees lost in the Carmel Forest Fire (9); meanwhile, 2,400 volunteers are helping to rehabilitate that forest (10). GelTech solutions, maker of Fire-Ice, announced that it will be providing firefighting suppressant to the Chinese, who have numerous wildfires during their summer wildfire season (11). India's Principal Chief Conservator Of Forests has put forested areas in southwest India off-limits to tourists due to the wildfire danger (12); even as a new Forest Minister unveils his policy for Jammu and Kashmir (13). TangentLink sent along an invitation to their upcoming aerial firefighting conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, towards the end of this year (14). Helicopter air-tankers were called in to assist firefighters in Tasman, New Zealand, battle a bushfire (15); while the next article provides a profile on Australia Capital Territory's network of bushfire lookout towers (16). Country Fire Authority has warned Victorians that recent heavy rains have not completely eliminated the bushfire threat (17); even as hot temperatures in Bendigo remind homeowners that it's time to check their bushfire survival plans (18). Just as fire agencies in New South Wales predicted two months ago during floods, the bushfire season has arrived (19); while bushfire smoke is causing visibility problems for motorists south of Brisbane, Queensland (20). Western Australia's EnergySafety power watchdog is blaming Western Power for a 2009 bushfire that caused $100 million worth of damage north of Perth (21); and bushfires killed off a number of endangered parrots living in Cape Arid National Park (22). As temperatures heat up in South Australia, authorities put Operation Nomad into play (23). And finally, the mystery of who stole a Black Saturday survivor's caravan last month was solved when a drunken driver was apprehended in Victoria!

(1) Controlled Burn Scheduled To Begin Monday

(2) La Niña Brings Dry January To San Diego

(3) An Ecological Approach to Sudden Oak Death Prevention

(4) Fourmile Canyon homeowners still waiting for insurance settlements on wildfire

(5) Authorities: Fire Danger Extremely High

(6) Suit over national forest project dismissed in SD

(7) Collier County wildfire is 'suspicious'

(8) Dry Season In Costa Rica Also Spark Of Forest Fires

(9) Young people get creative to replace trees after forest fire in Israel

(10) Volunteers help Restore the Carmel Forest

(11) GelTech Solutions Receives Approvals for Chinese Marketplace

(12) Closed season for forest guest houses in Karnataka

(13) J&K forest Minister unveil new Forest Policy

(14) Aerial Emergency Response International Conference & Exhibition

(15) Choppers help put out fire

(16) Peter's perch: bird's eye view gives early warning of bushfires

(17) Rain won't wash away threat, CFA warns

(18) Boy, it’s hot in Bendigo

(19) Bushfire threat heating up

(20) Forest fire smoke threat to traffic on Waterford-Tamborine Road

(21) Safety watchdog prosecutes WA power group

(22) Endangered parrots killed in bushfires

(23) Be alert for bushfires as temperature soars past 42 degrees

(24) Accused drunk driver towing caravan allegedly stolen from Black Saturday survivor