WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 072712

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Jon Keeley, a Research Ecologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, sent along a new study on how to control infestations of the noxious weed Italian thistle, which can act as a ladder fuel in California wildfires (1). A summary of wildfire activity in Oregon is provided by the next article (2); where, despite a couple of new wildfires, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center remarked on the quiet current situation in that state (3); but across the Columbia River in Washington, a pair of wildfires closed portions of State Route 14 (4). Arizona's Senator McCain has introduced the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act, which will transfer 14 C-27J aircraft from the military to US Forest Service at no charge to bolster the severely-depleted heavy air-tanker fleet (5). Firefighters have brought containment on Utah's 21,000-acre Baboon Fire to 95% (6); and firefighters squelched a 3-acre blaze outside of Salt Lake City as well (7). Wildfire activity in Montana's Bitterroot Valley is provided by the next article (8); firefighters containing a 5-acre wildfire in Gallatin County (9); but a five-square-mile wildfire forced evacuations in Stillwater County (10). An update on wildfires in north-central Nebraska reported that many evacuees were being allowed to return home (11). Fire conditions in Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest, which has reported 117 fires that scorched over 6,000 acres so far this year, haven't been this bad since the 1980's (12); but a debris burn turned into a 7.5-acre wildfire in Carroll County, Arkansas (13); and a vacant home fire sparked a wildfire in Greene County (14); while prime wildfire weather prompted officials in the Ouachita and Ozark-St. Francis National Forests to urge visitors to practice wildfire prevention (15). A small wildfire that burned upwards of three acres was quickly dealt with by firefighters from several departments in Berwick, Maine (16); while a forestry expert from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences expounded on lessons to be learned from wildfires in the West that can save homes in the East (17). A small wildfire burned between 2 and 4 acres outside of Crapo, Maryland (18); and in Washington DC, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reiterated the change in focus US Forest Service is making to prevent more wildfires rather than spend copious amounts fighting them (19). Firefighters fought a pitched battle against a 3,500-hectare wildfire burning in St. Theresa Point, Manitoba, Canada (20); while officials in Cuba reported that they were able to reduce the acreage burned by a third, to only 2,865 hectares, in the most recent fire season (21). Several wildfires were still burning in Rumania (22); and firefighters on Bulgaria's Sakar Mountain had to call on the military to assist with a 3,500-decare (865-acre) wildfire (23). Wildfires have scorched 15,000 hectares across Krasnoyarsk, Tomsk, Tuva, Khakassia and Irkutsk in Russia's Siberia (24). And finally, it's nice to hear what a good job you're doing as a firefighter, but it's not every day that that praise comes from a US President!

(1) Effective short-term treatments for Italian thistle

(2) Firefighters make progress against blaze in southeast Oregon

(3) Headway Made Against Large Wildfire in Oregon

(4) Brush fires close section of SR 14 in Washington

(5) Sen. McCain Introduces Wildfire Aircraft Bill

(6) SW Utah’s Baboon Wildfire containment expected soon

(7) Brush fire sparks off of Redwood Rd.

(8) Crews improve hold on Bitterroot's largest wildfire

(9) 5-acre wildfire contained west of Belgrade

(10) Wildfire prompts evacuations near Columbus

(11) Video: Nebraska wildfire evacuations lifted for Meadville and Norden

(12) Missouri wild fires setting record pace

(13) Wildfire at Russell Point burns 7.5 acres

(14) Firefighters battle brush fire in western Greene County

(15) Wildfire prevention encouraged across the state

(16) One-alarm Berwick brush fire spreads in woods

(17) Understanding Perceptions Critical in Fighting Wildfire

(18) Brush fire in Crapo

(19) Forest Service spending more on fire prevention

(20) Province sends aid to battle forest fire

(21) Forest Fires Reduced in Cuba

(22) EFFIS - Current Situation

(23) Wildfire extinction in Sakar Mountain continues

(24) Wildfires Continue to Ravage Siberia

(25) Firefighters talk about fighting fires, saving homes and meeting Obama