Photo by Ellen Miller

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Work needed to turn back dangerous fire trends, according to new OFRI report



July 30, 2014
For immediate release
Contact: Dave Kvamme – 971-673-2948

Work needed to turn back dangerous
fire trends, according to new OFRI report

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Forest Resources Institute is urging stronger action to turn back dangerous fire trends.
In a new report and video called “State of Fire,” the institute says that changing climate conditions, past forest management decisions and thousands more people choosing to live closer to the forest’s edge are intensifying and complicating fire risks and firefighting in Oregon.
As of July, wildfire on private and public forestland protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry had burned 36,888 acres – seven times the 10-year average. On the heels of 2013’s “epic” fire season, it’s more evidence supporting worrisome trends: higher number of acres burned, more severe fires, longer fire seasons and soaring costs.
"We’re facing another tough summer for firefighters and landowners," said Mike Cloughesy, OFRI’s director of forestry. “And while there is good work happening to reverse some of the trends, we need to do more, and we need to pick up the pace.”
“State of Fire” describes how fire's behavior historically differed in western and eastern parts of the state – and then compares that to current conditions. For example, fires in the drier forests east of the Cascades and in southwestern Oregon historically happened frequently, but were not severely destructive.
"'State of Fire' offers a fresh perspective on the worsening condition of fire-prone forests," said OFRI Executive Director Paul Barnum. “It points out practical realities and urges stronger action.” Specifically, the report recommends action on two fronts:
·       In the wet forests, because the threats to lives and property are so great, Oregon must ensure that firefighting capacity and technology is up to the task.
·       In the dry forests, millions of acres need restoration. Local collaboration and active management can restore forest to a more resilient condition. But more funding is needed to do more, faster.
“In the dry forests, we’ve largely lost the good, low-intensity, frequent fire,” said Stephen Fitzgerald, an Oregon State University professor who consulted on the project. "Unfortunately, one consequence of that is that we’re now at risk of more high-severity fire, which isn't characteristic of those forests."
OFRI worked with an array of state and federal fire-response agencies, as well as private landowners and nongovernmental agencies, to produce the 16-page illustrated publication and 12-minute video that make up “State of Fire.”
"This is a timely report on an important topic that every Oregonian should seek to understand. We hope it will push the conversation along, because we need to reverse recent trends,” Cloughesy said.
Both the publication and video are available at OregonForests.org.
###


Oregon Forest Resources Institute: OFRI was created by the Oregon Legislature in 1991 to advance public and landowner education about the importance of forests, forest management and forest products. It is governed by a 13-member board and funded by a dedicated forest products harvest tax. To learn more about OFRI, please visit OregonForests.org