Walden, Brown, USDA Discuss Wildfire Efforts

The Eagle Creek Fire was on the top of everyone’s minds this week during a wildfire round table discussion in Cascade Locks.  Last year, the Eagle Creek burned 50,0000 acres in both Oregon and Washington, and continued to burn for three months.  Representative Greg Walden said the Forest Service must do more to prevent these fires from becoming so massive and devastating.

“You saw it burn out 13 miles overnight, you realize what a monster a fire can become and how long it takes for recovery to occur.”

As per Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue’s request, the U.S. Forest Service is looking at changing a long standing policy where fires were allowed to burn for a while before a full scale offensive is put into place.  Perdue said firefighters must get on these blazes quicker with the resources they need.

And that was welcomed news to Governor Kate Brown.

“This is going to be another challenging wildfire season,” Brown said.

Over 300 wildfires have been reported in Oregon this year alone.