WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 110913

An editorial from the New York Times revisits the controversial practice of salvage logging in forests burned by wildfires (1); meanwhile, Wildfire NOTD subscriber Max Moritz, a Researcher at UC Berkeley's Center For Fire Research and Outreach, sent along an article about how scientists are struggling to convey the true impact of climate change on weather events that can, in some cases, influence wildfires (2). FEMA has indicated that California's Rim Fire was not severe enough to qualify for federal disaster aid (3); while a 200-acre wildfire that blazed through Lake County was 15% contained Friday night (4); and a 75-acre wildfire on the outskirts of Atascadero is now 50% contained (5). New Mexico's Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative has been fined $38.3 million for 2011's 243 mi.² Las Conchas Fire, which is blamed on the company's power transmission equipment (6); NASA’s Earth Observatory providing graphic testimony to the increase in housing in wildfire-prone portions of Colorado from 1985 till 2013 (7). Heading to Australia, a 4-hectare bushfire forced the evacuation of the Dreamworld amusement park outside of Coomera, Queensland (8). Following containment of a 250-hectare bushfire in Kemps Creek, New South Wales, a bushfire warning has been downgraded (9); and rainfall over the weekend is expected to clear the air of bushfire smoke in Sydney (10); but homeowners seeking to rebuild after bushfires could pay up to $100,000 extra to comply with New South Wales building regulations in bushfire-prone areas (11). Following the evacuation of dozens of campers from Western Australia's Karijini National Park, authorities indicated that the park would remain closed over the weekend due to continued bushfire activity (12). And finally, Las Vegas, Nevada, firefighters put their construction skills to use building a wheelchair ramp for a disabled veteran!

(1) The Wrong Way to Save a Forest

(2) In the Hot Seat

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