WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 111313

An erosion specialist is helping officials in Clayton, California, with their efforts to prevent serious erosion in areas scorched by the 3,000-acre Morgan Fire this summer (1); while Oregon-based National Wildfire Suppression Association threw its support behind SB 1628 which would allow wildland firefighters to receive federal Public Safety Officer death benefits (2); and people and organizations involved in the response to Washington state's Taylor Bridge and Table Mountain wildfires in 2012 will be fêted at the Kittitas County Community Resiliency Celebration today (3). Arizona's Coconino National Forest will be conducting controlled burns to reduce wildfire fuel (4); while the Kaibab National Forest will be following suit (5). American National Insurance Company recounts how its emphasis on wildfire mitigation efforts prior to Colorado's Black Forest Fire saved homes during the blaze in a press release (6); and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will construct a new Forest Fire Experiment Station building in Roscommon to help convert military vehicles to forest fire fighting equipment (7). In Maryland, the Frederick County Fire Marshal has imposed a burn ban due to gusty winds, low relative humidity and low fuel moisture (8). A wildfire in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest continues to grow, passing the 2 mi.² mark (9); while US Forest Service indicated that it may take several days to extinguish the wildfire, which is 20% contained at this time (10); the next article discussing the ecological benefits of forest fires (11). US Forest Service fire crews battled a 40-acre wildfire in Wythe County, Virginia (12). US Forest Service firefighters continued to battle a 100-acre wildfire burning in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest (13); while at the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety's facility in Chester County, South Carolina, a congressional delegation saw the impact of ember storms on homes yesterday (14). Following a very rainy season, Florida Forest Service officials warned homeowners to prepare for the drier wildfire season (15). In New South Wales, Australia, Rural Fire Service officials warned that the state faces the worst bushfire season in a decade (16); even as the state government mulls committing $10 million to help clean up debris left behind by the bushfires last month (17); but the mayor of Blue Mountains demanded more action from the government (18); while Wildfire NOTD subscriber Colin Stewart of Thermo-Gel, Australia, sent along an article that touches on the problem of underinsurance in the Blue Mountains (19); recent bushfires leading to new laws that will allow homeowners to clear their property of fuel with fewer restrictions (20); while the Liverpool Council voted to donate $10,000 to the Australian Red Cross NSW Disaster Relief and Recovery Appeal (21); but the difficult task of recovering a fallen air-tanker pilot from Budawang National Park last month is recounted by the next article (22). Eyre Peninsula landowners may have finally reached an agreement in a South Australian Supreme Court class-action suit over a 2005 bushfire (23). Lightning sparked a bushfire which forced closure of Western Australia's Stokes National Park (24); asthma sufferers being warned that smoke from controlled burns could impact their health in the weeks to come (25). Tasmania's Premier will allocate $1.5 million for programs which will focus on fuel reduction, evacuations, traffic control and air control during serious bushfires (26). And finally, Colorado Timber Homes has found an innovative use for timber scorched by wildfires this summer in that state!

(1) Clayton town hall audits firefighting effort on Morgan Fire

(2) National Wildfire Suppression Association supports SB 1628, the Fallen Wildland Firefighters Fair Compensation Act

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