Greetings from the Land of 500+ AQI: We’re Holding Our Breath Out Here
My family and I went to the coast Sunday for one reason: To escape the choking smoke in the air. Brian Prawitz, for CHF | August 31, 2023 My wife’s perpetual smoke induced headache and the depressing, oppressing cloud literally hanging over us was just too much. If even for a few hours, the idea […]
PROTECTING OUR FORESTS: WILDFIRES ARE THE REAL THREAT
If the goal is really to reduce net carbon emissions and address climate change, one of the best things we can do is to actively manage forests to reduce risks of massive carbon-emitting wildfires, and to store carbon in long-lived wood products. Rob Freres | https://frereswood.com/ | August 28, 2023 This article was written in […]
Column: Poor forest management fuels wildfires
Tom Kress, Douglas County Commissioner | Jun 21, 2023 Wildfires have become increasingly devastating in recent years, ravaging massive areas of land, destroying homes and businesses, and endangering lives. I wanted to take a moment to address and offer a chance for our residents to hear the other side of the story when it comes […]
Catastrophic wildfires threaten clean and healthy environment
The forests that our federal and state governments manage are sending hundreds of millions of tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere as they burn each year. KENDALL COTTON | helenair.com | Jun 18, 2023 Forest fire season is underway in B.C. (Chris Harris/Getty Images) Even D.C. politicians are now choking under the smoke-filled air that […]
Bill to protect rural communities from wildfire passes both chambers
Recently, SB 872, which directs the State Forestry Department to collaborate with the respective Douglas & Coos Forest Protection Associations and the United States Forest Service, with a focus on protecting lands and rural communities within the wildland-urban interface from fire on federal lands through stewardship to decrease wildfire risk across Oregon through increased partnership with […]
Oregon Society of American Foresters brings annual conference to Douglas County
CANYONVILLE — Early Wednesday morning, more than a dozen foresters stood on a gravel turn off on Cow Creek Road, west of Glendale, looking over a viewpoint into a canyon below. WILL GESCHKE | The News-Review | May 11, 2023 | Updated May 11, 2023 Ten years earlier, the Douglas Complex Fire, which began as a total […]
Editorial: Count trees before and after the wildfires
Talk about busy work. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are counting the number of old-growth and “mature” trees on federal land. Editorial | capitalpress.com | May 4, 2023 Federal forest managers need to be allowed to manage the forests, not count the trees to “protect.”Inciweb A thought: These two agencies are […]
Climate Change, Megafires Crush Forest Regeneration
High-intensity fires in western states kill mature trees and their seeds while warmer, drier conditions stress seedlings. But forest managers can still intervene to change this trajectory. By Nancy Averett| eos.org | 28 April 2023 Warmer and drier climate conditions in western U.S. forests are making it harder for trees to regrow after wildfires, according to […]
Worsening Wildfire Smoke Requires a More Proactive Approach
The U.S. has recently experienced some of its worst wildfire seasons on record, creating unhealthy smoke that affected tens of millions of Americans. Physical health effects from wildfire smoke exposure can range from breathing difficulties to heart failure. Certain populations—including children and older adults—are at higher risk from these effects. Wildfire smoke can also affect […]
Biden-Harris Administration Invests Nearly $200M from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Reduce Wildfire Risk to Communities across State, Private and Tribal Lands
US Department of Agriculture | usda.gov | March 20, 2023 Release & Contact InfoPress ReleaseRelease No. 0061.23Contact: USDA PressEmail: press@usda.gov WASHINGTON, March 20, 2023 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is investing $197 million in 100 project proposals benefiting 22 states and seven tribes, as part of the Community Wildfire […]