WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 091913

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Scott Stephens, an Associate Professor in UC Berkeley's Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, discussed the science of wildfires in a New York Times article (1). As the fall fire season nears in Southern California, fire officials in the mountain community of Crestline are urging property owners to clean up their weeds and debris (2); and Wildfire NOTD subscriber Rick Halsey, Director of the California Chaparral Institute, sent along a press release about an official with Big Bear Fire Department who is helping harden homes against wildfires with money from FEMA grants (3); while it turns out that a former San Diego Congressman's wedding plans were upset by the Rim Fire the first of the month (4); that fire turning 60 sq miles of timber into an eerie moonscape (5); the Stanislaus National Forest discussing the effectiveness of prescribed burns in the Rim Fire Preliminary Fuel Treatment Effectiveness Report (6); in the meantime, a suspect has been arrested in regards to an arson wildfire in San Anselmo (7); the next article taking a closer look at Assembly Bill 744, which would relax regulations on logging operations in order to reduce wildfire fuel in the Sierra Nevadas (8). As wildfire season wanes in Oregon, the Malheur National Forest is lifting fire restrictions (9); and a 300-acre wildfire outside of Benton City, Washington, is now 75% contained (10). In Arizona, the Phoenix Coyotes raised $165,198 for the families of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire (11). Fire prevention measures are being credited with reducing the number of wildfires in Utah this season (12); but two insurance companies are attempting to sue the U.S. Army for $1.3 million in losses incurred when a wildfire was sparked on the grounds of Utah's Camp Williams in 2010 (13). Texas Forest Service dealt with two wildfires in Plantersville and Stoneham (14); while a SEAT was called in to assist firefighters battling a 15-20 acre wildfire in South Dakota's Seven Sisters Mountain Range (15). Northern Michigan University's wildland firefighting program is profiled by the next article (16). The Missouri Department of Conservation Forestry Division issued a $2,700 check to the Fishing River Fire Protection District to help purchase equipment that can be used to fight wildfires (17); while the Arkansas Forestry Commission reported that a 1,500-acre wildfire in Bradley County was threatening homes (18). A firefighter who was injured by a falling tree while battling a wildfire near Logansport, Louisiana, last week has finally gone home (19); Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation firefighters recalling a busy summer battling wildfires in the West (20). In Washington, DC, a threatened veto from President Obama could jeopardize HR 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act which aims to protect communities through aggressive thinning of forests (21); this at a time when the House’s Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition discussed federal agency coordination on wildfire prevention with the Secretary of the Interior (22). As end-of-season layoffs approach in British Columbia, Canada's, Merritt Fire Zone, a new Wildfire Management Training Centre has been unveiled (23); but the European Forest Fire Information System reported 11 wildfires in Portugal, Spain, Greece, Romania, and Turkey (24). A bushfire warning for a caravan park near Queensland, Australia's, Kinchant Dam has been downgraded with the completion of a firebreak (25). And finally, as a resident of Locust Grove, Oklahoma, was laid to rest, her unique profession was celebrated: fire tower observer!

(1) Into the Wildfire

(2) Fire Hazard Inspections Continue

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