wildfires

On Friday, the University of Idaho released the finalized results of its 10-year study looking into the impacts of grazing on greater sage grouse populations.  The study concluded that cattle grazing does not negatively impact greater sage grouse and can only benefit the species through building robust habitat, increasing forage, and reducing invasive grasses that lead to catastrophic wildfires.  

Starting Monday, the Oregon Department of Forestry is adding fire precautions to the Central Oregon District.  The goal is to reduce human caused fires in the hot, dry conditions.  ODF said smoking while traveling will have to be inside of a vehicle and open fires will be prohibited.  That includes cam...

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said her agency is deploying resources to assist the wildfire response in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta, Canada.  The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center raised the wildfire preparedness level to 5 in late May as the country is experiencing very high to extreme wildfire activity.  US...

Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters were sent out of state Friday, to help other regions battling wildfires.  ODF's Jessica Neujahr said the state has various two-way agreements.   "Both of these types of agreements are great because they basically create a reciprocal cache of resources and create a larger, more comprehensive fire management system."   ODF ...

With the start of summer weeks away, and warmer, dryer weather in the forecast, the USDA is preparing for the wildfire season ahead.   “More than 1.1 million acres have burned this year, exceeding the ten-year average," said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins after receiving the operations wildfire briefing from the U.S. Forest Servi...

The Oregon Legislature is looking at how homeowners can maintain their insurance in high fire risk areas.  Kenton Brine, with the Northwest Insurance Council, said disaster losses have skyrocketed for insurance companies.   "Losses related to natural disasters, just natural disasters, were $168 billion in 2023 and $182 billion in 2024."   In C...

What might weather look like where you are at at this month and the summer months? USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey offers an outlook, including:   “We are watching the western and central U.S. for the possibility of drought expansion or intensification. We do exp...

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said recently she'd consider using part of the kicker refund on wildfire suppression and mitigation.  The state’s kicker refund will be nearly $2 billion and Kotek said half of that money could be useful for fire season.   "The o...

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed a joint memo on wildfire preparedness, ensuring the two departments will work closely during the fire season.  USDA will work with the President’s cabinet members and trusted state, local, and tribal partners to ensure the nation’s firefighting system is highly coordinated and focused on fighting wildfires quickly and effectivel

Several Senate Democrats say they are concerned that federal staffing cuts could impact firefighting efforts this summer.  Senators from Oregon and Washington say some firefighters and support staff are gone from the Forest Service.  Oregon’...