Wildfires Summer/Fall 2016 (Boise: safety, vacation, farm)

[clearwater66]

Does anyone know how the lands are re-forested after fires and is it public funded or are there charities that collect money and buy saplings?

[LionFamily]

Originally Posted by clearwater66

Does anyone know how the lands are re-forested after fires and is it public funded or are there charities that collect money and buy saplings?

I suspect that only on private land would anyone "re-forest" in any organized (expensive) way. Mostly, I think we just rely on Mother Nature.

(On that note, we just got back from Glacier. We weren't able to go last year, because the smoke was so bad. We were really impressed with the amount of growth that has taken place on the burned area to the west of Lake MacDonald. It's been a wet summer and, boy, have those trees grown!)

[Cnynrat]

I don't know if this is common, but the National Forest Service is managing (and I assume funding) a remediation project for the areas burned in the Tower Fire near Priest Lake last year. The scope includes removing dangerous trees, harvesting dead and dying trees that still have economic value, and reforesting some 3,500 acres of forest.

Here's a link to the NFS news item about the project: Tower Fire Salvage Project

Dave

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Cnynrat

I don't know if this is common, but the National Forest Service is managing (and I assume funding) a remediation project for the areas burned in the Tower Fire near Priest Lake last year. The scope includes removing dangerous trees, harvesting dead and dying trees that still have economic value, and reforesting some 3,500 acres of forest.

Here's a link to the NFS news item about the project: Tower Fire Salvage Project

Dave

Quick remediation is important.
Harvesting scorched trees is a good thing; the wood is actually harder and more rot resistant after it's been through a fire, and while buying scorched wood is messy, the wood's cheap, and easier to bark with a drawknife. Since it's been fire-cured already, it's no longer green and can be used for whatever immediately with no need for months of air curing.

Since our native grass species, forests, etc. have all evolved in fire country, the forest service and BLM have found re-planting native grass seed while the ground is still blackened actually gives the sees a good start, and a start helps beak the cheatgrass to the soil.
Cheatgrass is our greatest weed problem and a really bad fire grower. It's not native, and it matures and seeds out sooner than the prairie sweetgrasses, will choke grazers, and when lit up, burns faster and hotter than the natives. Many of our big fires spread due to the prevalence of cheatgrass, so beating it to the punch is a big deal for everyone.

[Cnynrat]

I agree Mike. Not only to prevent invasive plants from gaining a foothold but also to mitigate erosion in mountainous areas. I was glad to see this news item the other day that they had started remediation in the Tower fire area.

Dave

[FutureNorthender]

My husband is out on the Pioneer Fire and they are now beginning rehab of the fire line. They wipe out the fire line, covering all the cleared earth with plant material and they even dig some drainage to minimize erosion. As for replanting, I don't know. I think that is handled later by forest service employees after the fire service is gone.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by clearwater66

Does anyone know how the lands are re-forested after fires and is it public funded or are there charities that collect money and buy saplings?

Here's an update that I got this morning regarding the follow up on the fire Biologists meet to determine future of wildlife following Henry's Creek Fire - East Idaho News

[Mtn. States Resident]

Good news. Henry's Creek is contained three days earlier than predicted. I'm happy to see this headline! I think our small amount of rain yesterday (first since April) helped.

Goodbye to the > $4.3 million fire.

Henry's Creek Fire officially contained, all closures lifted - East Idaho News

[volosong]

From today's CdA Press, (print edition - did not see it in the on-line version)

By Nicholas K. Geranios, AP

Titled: After 2 bad fire years, this fire season light in Northwest

After two consecutive years in which wildfires set acreage records in Washington, this fire season has been very light. In fact, wildfires have been smaller and less destructive in Washington, Oregon and Idaho this year thanks to a heavy winter snowpack and some rain in the spring and summer months.

Firefighters are cautiously optimistic the fire season might be drawing to an early close as fall approaches...

...The light fire season means that the U.S. Forest Service did not have to raid its fire prevention budget to battle wildfires, as they often have in the past, Gardetto said. That leaves more money for fire prevention work, she said

Gardetto warned that one light fire season does not make a trend.

“Just one year of a good snow doesn’t make up for the drought of recent years,” she said.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by volosong

From today's CdA Press, (print edition - did not see it in the on-line version)

By Nicholas K. Geranios, AP

Titled: After 2 bad fire years, this fire season light in Northwest

This just goes to show the old adage:
When someone else loses his job, it's a recession.
When you lose yours, it's a depression.

This was the worst fire year I've seen in a very long time down here. About 59,000 acres of prime farm and rangeland lit up, and it's not all over yet.

So, to me, this was a bad fire year, no matter what someone else says about it.
Personally, I think the writer was way premature in calling this a light season. It's very dry, and we could be seeing fires throughout September and October, possibly into November as well. If it stays dry and hot for the season, they could even extend into December.

Late season fires can become big ones when the conditions are right. It ain't over yet folks, and won't be until snow hits the ground and sticks to it.

And I sure hope it doesn't happen!