WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 030813

The National Interagency Fire Center released statistics for US wildfires in 2012 which showed that approximately $580 million was spent on the largest (1); the following article shedding more light on the Forest Service's plans to let more fires burn after a expensive 2012 fire season in which it ran $400 million over budget (2). An editorial from the Southern California community of Idyllwild takes a closer look at the impact of US Forest Service's cuts in the fuel reduction budget for 2013 could have on wildfires in their area (3); while the Federal Aviation Administration plans to close five control towers in Oregon could have an impact on air-tanker activity during summer wildfires (4). Congress is considering $20 million for Colorado's Emergency Watershed Protection funds, which aims to block erosion in areas scorched by wildfires last summer (5); the Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, helping to secure $473 million in FY 2013 funding for US Forest Service's wildfire suppression efforts (6); but following a year in which Utah spent $16 million fighting wildfires, many of them linked to target shooting, a new law has been passed which bans target shooting during periods of extremely hazardous fire conditions (7). Fire crews in Durant, Oklahoma, responded to a couple of grass fires, one of which resulted from a debris burn (8); and fearing wildfires in the midst of Austin, Texas', Loop 360, the Austin City Council implemented several changes to reduce the danger (9). New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews conducted more controlled burns in the Pinelands to reduce wildfire fuel (10); while South Carolina Forestry Commission firefighters battled a 58-acre wildfire in Spartanburg County (11). An uptick in wildfire activity in Florida has seen 14 blazes crop up in the Orlando District over the past week (12); a video segment from Hillsborough County talking about the ongoing danger until rains arrive in June (13); fire crews using a 500-acre controlled burn in Dickinson State Park to reduce the wildfire danger along the Treasure Coast (14); the next article taking a look at the fate of over 100 fire lookout towers across the state (15); and an editorial offering up praise for the work of the Marion County Multi-Agency Wildland Task Force (16). Alberta, Canada's, Environment and Sustainable Resource Development ministry will be reducing air-tanker contracts by $4 million for the 2013 season (17); but as Trinidad & Tobago launched their Forestry Division’s Forest Fire Prevention Programme, the Minister of the Environment and Water Resources emphasized the problems wildfires cause in that Caribbean nation (18). Firefighters grappled with an 8-hectare bushfire outside of Masterton, New Zealand (19); while fire crews pounced on a 1-hectare blaze outside of South Hokianga (20); and helicopters assisted firefighters on the ground battling a 250-hectare bushfire outside of Whanganui (21). Following bushfires in Victoria, Australia, the Great Alpine Road has reopened (22); Bushfire CRC sending along their March newsletter (23). One week after bushfires forced evacuations in Bullsbrook, Western Australia, another blaze could force a repeat performance (24); even as authorities are searching frantically for a bushfire arsonist who has lit a dozen fires in the Swan Valley over the last three nights (25). A Professor of Environmental Change Biology at the University of Tasmania discusses the impact of wildfires on that state's forests (26); while the Premier tried to deflect blame for the catastrophic bushfires in January (27). And finally, a new study from California shows that there is at least one forest creature not bothered by wildfires: bats!

(1) Estimated $580M Spent on Largest Wildfires in 2012

(2) Forest Service May Let More Fires Burn

(3) Fire and Forest: A future to aim for

(4) 5 Ore. airport towers on FAA closure list

(5) Help sought to block erosion from Colorado wildfires

(6) Simpson Secures Wildfire Funding In House Budget Bill

(7) Bill passes to ban target shooting due to wildfire risk

(8) Firefighters hose down car and grass fires

(9) Austin City Council passes items to increase wildfire protection

(10) Forest Service Conducting Prescribed Burns in Pinelands

(11) Wildfire Training Pays Off In Recent Spartanburg County Fire

(12) Wildfires on rise in Central Florida

(13) Wildfire danger high in Bay area

(14) Prescribed burn Friday designed to discourage Treasure Coast wildfires like the one Wednesday

(15) Forest service in Valrico modernizes in shadow of old fire tower

(16) Editorial: Firefighting force

(17) Environment spending sliced as Alberta’s green record under growing scrutiny

(18) Fires taking heavy toll on forests

(19) Fire crews battle Masterton forest blaze

(20) Taheke forest fire doused

(21) Bush fire still burning near Whanganui

(22) GALLERY: Road opening great news for Alpine

(23) Bushfire CRC March 2013 Newsletter

(24) Bullsbrook faces second bushfire in a week

(25) Search for Swan Valley arsonist

(26) We need to think about fire in Tasmania’s forests

(27) Premier rejects blame for intense fires

(28) Bats Not Bothered by Forest Fires, Study Finds