WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 042512

We lead off today with something for forestry science researchers, a new website called ScienceAlerts.com which provides over 27,000 articles on that topic and scans nearly 3,500 publications each day for new information (1). As CAL FIRE begins activating seasonal firefighters, training fires are being set east of King City, California (2); and residents of Butte County will have to obtain burn permits in order to conduct outdoor fires beginning May 1st (3). Firefighters from the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center were mopping up a 26-acre wildfire burning south of Sisters (4). An Arizona Congressman has sent a letter to US Forest Service urging them to proceed with forest thinning plans to reduce the wildfire danger around Payson (5); while the Granite Mountain Hotshots intensified their training for the inevitable wildfires of the future in that state (6). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Dan Ware, Fire Information Officer for New Mexico State Forestry, commented on a 22-acre wildfire near Silver City apparently sparked by a vehicle fire in the next article (7); and he also reported on lightning-sparked wildfires near Piñon (8); but a Texan received a hefty penalty for starting a 53,000-acre wildfire in the Lincoln National Forest (9). Firefighters in Colorado continued to battle an 8 1/2-acre wildfire burning in Roosevelt National Forest (10); while the Lower North Fork Fire has become a political hot potato over compensation for wildfire survivors (11). Firefighters at Utah's Great Basin Fire Engine Academy are training with apparatus in preparation for wildfire season (12). Fire officials in Travis County, Texas, are requesting funds to purchase a $2.4 million firefighting helicopter (13); this at a time when hard-hit Bastrop struggles to rebuild after a 32,400-acre wildfire blazed through the area seven months ago (14); while the Texas Forest Service grappled with four wildfires in Jeff Davis County (15). Firefighters struggled to rope in a 4,000-acre wildfire in Teton County, Montana, which had begun as a controlled burn (16); but firefighters battling a 7,000-acre wildfire on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation indicated that the fire was now 80% contained (17). Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources relaxed emergency burning restrictions for many parts of the state (18). Firefighters battled a 640-acre wildfire in Reno County, Kansas (19); and crews in Pennsylvania brought containment of a 517-acre wildfire burning in French Creek State Park to 90% (20). The impact of Florida's wildfires, which have burned 58,962 acres so far this year, were discussed at a land purchase meeting which touched on the impact of drought on that state (21); that drought preventing firefighters from setting more controlled burns (22); even as Florida Forest Service offered a $5,000 reward for help in tracking down wildfire arsonists who have set several blazes in Glades County (23). Royal Canadian Mounted Police is investigating several suspicious fires, including two wildfires, in Chilliwack, British Columbia (24); and an 18,500-acre wildfire raged through Mexico City's Bosque de la Primavera forest park (25). The impact of wildfires on a Central American jungle paradise is the topic of a Scientific American article (26); followed by a summary of wildfire activity in Siberia, Russia (27). NASA satellites revealed that 159 wildfires were burning across the Himalayan nation of Nepal (28); while firefighters in New Zealand fought a 25-acre wildfire in Manawatu (29). Officials in Western Australia have extended the submission period for reports on the Margaret River and Nannup bushfires to April 29 (30). And finally, Smokey Bear is rising to new heights as NASA chose him for their mascot on the International Space Station!

(1) New Forestry Sciences Alerts at ScienceAlerts.com

(2) Firefighters training with brush burns east of King City

(3) CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire: Burn Permits Required May 1, 2012

(4) Lightning Sparks Wildfire South of Sisters

(5) Congressman blasts forest thinning delay

(6) For hotshot firefighting crews, training can be a matter of life and death

(7) Vehicle sparks wildfire south of Silver City

(8) Fires break out near Piñon

(9) Texas man sentenced for starting NM wildfire

(10) IN BRIEF: Fire mostly contained in Roosevelt forest

(11) Republicans Demand Compensation for Wildfire Victims [Updated]

(12) Utah firefighters get ready for season with engine training

(13) Travis County Requests Firefighting Helicopter

(14) Bastrop, Texas, still sees hope seven months after fire

(15) Wildfires Continuing to Burn in Jeff Davis County 4/25/12

(16) Controlled burn turned wildfire consumes 4,000 acres south of Fairfield

(17) Wildfire On Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

(18) Wildfires spring up during spring months

(19) No Structures Threatened by Large Wildfire in Kansas

(20) Pa. forest fire burned 517 acres, mostly contained

(21) Cabinet approves work plan for purchasing state lands, hears about wildfire risk

(22) Dry conditions limit Florida controlled burns; East Manatee faces extreme wildfire threat

(23) Suspicious fires investigated in Moore Haven

(24) Three fires in two hours in Chilliwack believed to be arsons

(25) Mexico forest hit by fire, armed intruders, squatters

(26) Fire Storm: Field Researchers and Their Subjects Endure Nature's Tempestuous Power

(27) In the far East and the shrinking number of forest fires

(28) Forest fires raging across Nepal

(29) Huge forest fire in Manawatu

(30) Bushfire submission period extended

(31) Smokey Bear Becomes Next Space Crew's Mascot