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
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.
###
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
