WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 032212

Fire officials met at California's 2012 Interagency Wildland Fire Prevention, Education and Mitigation Conference in northern San Diego County to discuss how better to cope with the inevitable wildfires this year (1); but nearly 3 years after a wildfire scorched almost 8,000 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the origin of the fire has finally been identified (2); while Humboldt County Fire Safe Council will be supervising a series of meetings to update that county's Community Wildfire Protection Plan (3); this at a time when US Forest Service is considering moving firefighting resources out of that county (4). With warmer temperatures in the forecast, firefighters in Colorado are bracing for a busy weekend of wildfire activity (5); followed by an update on three firefighters burned in a wildfire that scorched 37-sq-miles (6). As the vast grasslands covering the northern Midwest dry out, fire agencies across the region are bracing for wildfires (7); where firefighters in Illinois battled a 375-acre wildfire in Mason County's Sand Ridge State Forest (8). As a 700-acre wildfire continues to burn near Waterloo, Alabama Forestry Commission is hoping some rain will dampen down the fuel (9); a situation not helped by a 19-year-old volunteer firefighter who was arrested in connection with a string of wildfires in Talladega (10). Fire officials in Vermont gave some pointers to property owners doing outdoor burning due to the high wildfire danger (11); and having already reported 20 wildfires last month, Maine Forest Service is warning residents of the fire danger as well (12). A statement from the Alberta Sustainable Resource Department about the outlook for wildfires in that Canadian province is provided by the next article (13); while Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources has already reported a pair of wildfires this year (14); and a helitack crew has been disbanded by Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources (15). Unseasonal rainfall has helped reduce the incidence of wildfires in the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago (16); but as a massive wildfire continues to burn on the slopes of Mount Kenya, Kenyan authorities have set aside Sh200 million ($2,411,091) to purchase firefighting equipment for their firefighters (17). A wildfire in Wangjiatan Forest near Kunming, China, rekindled, prompting the dispatch of over 2,000 personnel to battle the blaze (18); and three people were burned to death in an 800-hectare wildfire in India's Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (19); while thousands of people in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand, are suffering from respiratory problems brought on by smoke and dust particles from a nearby wildfire (20). The Australia Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency Commissioner was voted more bushfire emergency powers by the Legislative Assembly (21). Firefighters gained the upper hand on a bushfire burning near Collie, Western Australia (22); but FESA has once again had some problems in the courtroom over the Roleystone and Kelmscott bushfire that destroyed 71 homes (23); while studies done by the University of Western Australia have revealed previously unknown information about the invasive plant witchweed in regards to parasitism and wildfires (24). And finally, our last article provides a little history lesson on Native Americans and wildfires in California's San Francisco Bay Area!

(1) Not Too Soon To Prep For Wildfires, Pros Say

(2) Lockheed Wildfire Cause Uncovered

(3) 'Community Wildfire Protection Plan' meetings

(4) Commissioners express concern as Forest Service considers a shift in resources

(5) Firefighters prepare for dangerous weekend forecast

(6) Burned Colo. Firefighter Recovering From Surgery

(7) Warm, dry weather fuels wildfire season in Plains, Midwest

(8) 375 acres burn in forest fire

(9) Rain needed to reduce wildfires, pollen

(10) East Alabama firefighter arrested after string of fires

(11) Officials urge caution with open burning

(12) Conditions for wildfires are here

(13) Wildfires over Alberta

(14) Kenora district records two fires going into 2012 forest fire season

(15) DNR forest fire ground crew disbanded

(16) Fewer bush fires this dry season

(17) Sh200 million set aside to combat forest fires

(18) Fire Rekindles in SW China Forest

(19) 3 charred to death in Maharashtra forest fire

(20) Chiang Mai still affected by haze and dust particles

(21) Commissioner given more power to control emergencies

(22) All clear after bushfire advice for Collie

(23) Sparkler conviction a fizzer for FESA

(24) Plant Scientists Unlock Fire And Witchcraft Secrets Of Seed Germination

(25) Huckleberry Botanical Preserve - Trillium and Wild Currants