Southern Oregon agencies gearing up with added resources as fire season begins

Southern Oregon — Fire season in Southern Oregon officially begins on Wednesday, and fire agencies across the Rogue Valley are preparing. By Kevin McNamara | https://ktvl.com | Tuesday, May 31st 2022 The Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest district now has 26 fire engines staffed seven days a week, which is up by three from last year. That’s in addition to […]
The Return to the Apple Jack Fire

The Apple Fire, about 21 miles east of Glide, burned through over 14,000 acres September of 2002. The latest photos are from our tour of the 2021 Jack fire which burned into the 2002 Apple Fire.
Peace at Last

Oregon Legislature inks SB 1546, creates Elliott State Research Forest NEWS | CLAYTON FRANKE | 03/31/2022 The Oregon State Legislature may have passed a bill with a solution to one of the state’s long-standing timber wars. On March 3, the Legislature approved Senate Bill 1546, decoupling the Elliott State Forest from the Common School Fund and creating […]
ODF issues $20 million for wildfire prevention projects on forest and rangelands

By: Jamie Parfitt | www.kdrv.com | Feb 16, 2022 SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry announced Wednesday that it has issued $20 million in grants for “landscape-scale” projects designed to reduce hazardous fuels and reduce wildfire risk across the state. The funding will specifically go toward nine projects submitted by nonprofit organizations and […]
The Ashes of Archie Creek

Chapter II “S.A.R.”
Wildfire potential predicted to be high in Southern Plains, Florida, Georgia, and Carolinas

Bill Gabbert | https://wildfiretoday.com | January 2, 2022 NIFC’s wildfire potential outlook, January through April The forecast for wildland fire potential issued January 1 by the National Interagency Fire Center predicts that for the next four months the potential for wildfires will be higher than average in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and the central and […]
Secure Rural Schools funding renewed in infrastructure bill

President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill ensures rural counties like Douglas County would receive Secure Rural Schools funding for another three years. CARISA CEGAVSKE Senior Staff Writer The News-Review Nov 17, 2021 When President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill into law Monday, he approved funding for a host of road […]
Judge halts logging ‘hazard trees’ in fire-burned Willamette National Forest, possibly delaying access

Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal A federal judge blocked a U.S. Forest Service plan to log hazard trees along 400 miles of road in Willamette National Forest this week, dealing a blow to the agency’s plan for reopening 170,000 acres of forest burned in the Labor Day fires last year. The Forest Service touted the plan […]
What Linn County is doing to demand better federal timber management

Counties in Western Oregon want better representation in Washington, D.C. and are banding together to pay for lobbyists and try to improve the federal government’s forest management and wildfire response. Troy Shinn | Nov 3, 2021 | democratherald.com The Linn County Board of Commissioners is looking to join forces with other area counties who benefit […]
Guest Opinion: Prevent wildfire damage before it starts with ‘Build Back Better’ bill

Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to act swiftly and comprehensively. Dr. Catherine Kordesch and Dr. David HarrisonGuest Opinion | statesmanjournal.com | October 29th, 2021 “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Benjamin Franklin noted. He was talking about avoiding fires — equally relevant now — but it is also a fundamental premise for […]