wildfire

The Washington state Department of Natural Resource will hold two free workshops next month for contractors interested in working on fuel reduction projects with private landowners.  And DNR noted, such projects may be eligible for DNR cost share funding.    ...

The Washington state Department of Natural Resources announced this week it is expanding its wildfire response team across the state.  DNR will add 60 positions, including hand crews, heavy equipment operators and more.  Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz says these new positions, made possible by House Bill 1168, won’t be limited to a wildfire fighting role, they’ll also be trained to do f

Much of the Northwest has seen some precipitation and cooler temperatures over that past week.  And become of that, the Oregon Department of Forestry announced that Fire Season officially comes to an end on Saturday.  ODF’s Jessica Prakke said despite predictions, the 2022 fire season turned out fairly tame.   "Our detection s...

While the fire season is not quite over, the Idaho Department of Lands is reporting a “drastic decrease” in the number of acres burned this year.  According to IDL leadership, it started last year when the Department went to state lawmakers, asking for: increased pay for firefighters, hazard pay, and more firefighters.  The boost in resour...

Oregon’s Department of Forestry has revised its timeline for re-releasing its Wildfire Risk Map.  ODF’s Derek Gasperini said a new draft is now due March 1st, following more public engagement and outreach.   “It would be easy for us to just make a few adjustments to the map and issue it again. But, we want to be able to make...

Dozens of wildfires continue to burn across the western U.S. which has led to a lot of smoke and air quality issues, especially across Idaho, Montana and other states in the northern Rockies.  And while conditions remain ripe for fires to start and spread, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey said the wildfire picture has improved here in the west, when compared to last week.   “...

September appears to have picked up right where August left off, with many regions across the Pacific Northwest reporting record or near record heat to start the month.   “We kicked off September on the 1st with a September record tying high of 112 degrees in Lancaster, CA," noted USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey.  "That wa...

Over a million dollars in federal funding is coming to Oregon for firefighting efforts.  Senator Jeff Merkley said it’s a step toward disaster prevention. "These funds go to the fire chiefs to prepare and basically develop their plans for tackling the fires. They’re v...

It may have taken a little while to get here, but wildfire season has descended upon the Pacific Northwest.  A hand full of fires are burning across the region, with the largest taking place in the mountains of central Idaho.  USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey said thanks to several dry years, the next two months could be very active. "It is a b...

Weather forecasts expect temperatures to climb into the upper 90s this week, with some locations expected to see highs well above the century mark.  And with those hot, dry conditions, the concern about wildfire risk grows. “Hopefully nothing like what we’ve experienced over the last couple of wildfire seasons, but never the less, sometimes when you have the cool wet springs, you get a lot of buil