WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 091713

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Darrel Kenops, CEO and Executive Director of the National Association of Forest Service Retirees, shared a letter signed by six former US Forest Service chiefs asking two US Senators to find a solution to the USFS habit of diverting mitigation funds to pay for wildfire suppression shortfalls (1). Southern California Edison is refusing to accept liability for a 2007 wildfire in Sequoia National Forest that scorched 1,350 acres (2); and now that the 134-acre Angora Fire is finally out, trails in Sequoia are reopening (3); as is Mount Diablo State Park following the 3,111-acre Morgan Fire (4); but an experimental forest near Lake Tahoe could hold the key to reducing catastrophic wildfires (5). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Dominick DellaSala, President and Chief Scientist of Oregon-based Geos Institute, sent along a video that shows the benefit of burned timber for some of our fine feathered friends (6). Even though most of Arizona has been deluged with monsoonal rainstorms, there is still a long way to go before the wildfire danger is completely extinguished (7); meanwhile, a legislative committee is set to begin hearings on providing full benefits to the families of all 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire (8). A resident of Boulder, Colorado, talks about the impact of wildfires and current flooding on her state this year (9); but although Western Colorado was hard hit by wildfires this summer, hunting season is still going forward as normal (10). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Jonathan Oppenheimer, Senior Conservation Associate at the Idaho Conservation League, sent along a blog post in which he discusses the findings of a study he authored about wildfires in that state (11); while a two-acre wildfire was reported in Wyoming's Shoshone National Forest (12). Wildfires in Wyoming's Bighorn National Forest in 1988 are the focus of the next article (13); but homeowners from Upper Miller Creek, Montana, thanked firefighters for a quick response to a wildfire threatening their homes (14); even as the Flathead National Forest organized guided tours to discuss Forest Plan revisions (15). Arkansas Forestry Commission reported 26 wildfires that burned over 1,000 acres across the state (16); including one in Hot Spring County (17). Police warned about the danger posed by motorized bikes to Massachusetts' Wompatuck State Park (18). The European Forest Fire Information System reported an uptick in wildfire activity, with 31 blazes being reported in France, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Turkey, and on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus (19). Heading to Australia, a change in the weather could exacerbate bushfires in Queensland that have already scorched 4,000 ha (20); while officials from New South Wales Rural Fire Service discussed a 600-hectare controlled burn which turned into a bushfire last week (21). And finally, a native of Puerto Rico has realized her dream of becoming an engineer with Connecticut's Bridgeport Fire Department!

(1) USFS Chiefs Letter To Senators Wyden and Murkowski

(2) Edison denies liability in 2007 Sequoia National Forest fire near Kernville, settles for $1.8M

(3) Trails in Sequoia National Forest reopening after fire

(4) Mount Diablo State Park opens in wake of wildfire

(5) Experimental Forests Could Lessen Toll of Wildfires

(6) RESTORE Episode 11: Black-backed Woodpeckers and Fire

(7) Wildfire outlook still grim after monsoon ends fire season

(8) Legislature to consider plan to pay fire survivors

(9) Colorado Droughts and Wildfires and Floods, Oh My!

(10) Hunting season still open in Colo. wildfire area

(11) Restoring Fire Can Benefit Idaho Forests

(12) New fire starts on forest

(13) Blazing Bighorn National Forest left 1 dead, recalled for its power

(14) Upper Miller Creek homeowners thank firefighters for successful initial attack

(15) Forest Plan Revision

(16) Wildfires Posing a Threat in South Arkansas

(17) Wildfire burning in Hot Spring County

(18) COHASSET POLICE: Motorized bikes present forest fire danger

(19) EFFIS - Current Situation

(20) Severe weather warning issued for central Qld as bushfires burn along the old highway

(21) Bushfire wake-up call

(22) Latina firefighter, first female pumper engineer