Wlid fires in the Pacific NW

[77]

Over 30,000 acres burning.

Started at the weekend by some little tw@s throwing fire crackers.

140 hikers got stranded and had to hike back in the dark 15 mile into the forest to get away from fires on two sides with hardly any of them having any supplies for the overnight hike.

We had friends who went through the area on monday, they said it was an inferno. Pitch black with smoke only lightened by the flames. I'm in eastern Washington and the air quality is very bad. It's like a gray fog out there.

Ash has been falling in Portland for the first time since Mt. Saint Helens blew.

Last I heard they were saying it could take a month to fully contain the fire.

The flames have already crossed the Columbia River into the Washington side.

It's a beautiful area, going to leave a massive scar for years to come.

This is just one of dozens of fires burning throughout California and the Pacific Northwest.

 

[711]

Fires are a natural part of forest ecology, there should be more study on how to manage them.
I don't half feel sorry for all the mammals and insects though, very sad.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

It's not just the NW, is it? Thought it was also affecting the LA area and beyond.

I'm sure the record highs encouraging them had nothing to do with global warming, though...

 

[77]

It's not just the NW, is it? Thought it was also affecting the LA area and beyond.

I'm sure the record highs encouraging them had nothing to do with global warming, though...

I did mention California.

We've had a hot dry summer, Oregon too, California always.
Sad thing is most of these fires are started by idiots.

 

[Nucks]

I live in on the western side of the cascades in central oregon. The visibility here for the last month has varied between 3km and 800m.

I lived in Troutdale just outside Portland for about 6 years, hiked eagle creek a bunch, to bad its burning up. Something to consider, there are two fires currently burning in British Columbia, one is bigger, and the other is about the same size as ALL of the total combined fires burning in the states atm.

It's fecking insanity, and I think it's directly linked to the total break down of the forest industry in the PNW/British Columbia. The reason for this is the Asian Mountain Pine Beetle. I'm originally from the Okanagan in BC, family were loggers, whose primary work in the 90's was beetle control. They'd be contracted to locate and harvest stands of fresh beetle attacked trees which would die in a couple of years. That was mostly shut down in the 90's. In the US, the logging industry did a better job of controlling beetle attack, but it also shut down.

In 1996 I was in Prince George (about halfway up the Province). It sat outside the natural range of the pine beetle at that point. Since then temperatures have warmed enough that the pine beetles are surviving winters. In 1996 the entire area was green. All the pine forests surrounding the city were healthy. I went back in 2006 I think, and the forests around PG were varying degrees of mostly ruddish red. Pine Beetle is absolutely massacring the forests in the North West, and all that dead, standing timber is dry and just makes any fires that gets into stands of it, burn that much hotter and faster.

 

[77]

And when that wind whips out down the Gorge. Where you at, Bend?

Edit. Western side, no

 

[Pimpmofo]

I'm in Wyoming and the air quality and visibility has been bad here because of the fires up there (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana). Feel bad for you guys up there.

 

[Nucks]

And when that wind whips out down the Gorge. Where you at, Bend?

Edit. Western side, no

Oakridge. Mountain Biking here is sweet, but been grounded due to the smoke. This last week has been so absurdly bad. Visibility sub 1km.

I do not miss the wind in the gorge. Most of the late fall/winter/early spring it sounded like a fecking freight train blowing through town.

 

[Nikhil]

I live in on the western side of the cascades in central oregon. The visibility here for the last month has varied between 3km and 800m.

I lived in Troutdale just outside Portland for about 6 years, hiked eagle creek a bunch, to bad its burning up. Something to consider, there are two fires currently burning in British Columbia, one is bigger, and the other is about the same size as ALL of the total combined fires burning in the states atm.

It's fecking insanity, and I think it's directly linked to the total break down of the forest industry in the PNW/British Columbia. The reason for this is the Asian Mountain Pine Beetle. I'm originally from the Okanagan in BC, family were loggers, whose primary work in the 90's was beetle control. They'd be contracted to locate and harvest stands of fresh beetle attacked trees which would die in a couple of years. That was mostly shut down in the 90's. In the US, the logging industry did a better job of controlling beetle attack, but it also shut down.

In 1996 I was in Prince George (about halfway up the Province). It sat outside the natural range of the pine beetle at that point. Since then temperatures have warmed enough that the pine beetles are surviving winters. In 1996 the entire area was green. All the pine forests surrounding the city were healthy. I went back in 2006 I think, and the forests around PG were varying degrees of mostly ruddish red. Pine Beetle is absolutely massacring the forests in the North West, and all that dead, standing timber is dry and just makes any fires that gets into stands of it, burn that much hotter and faster.

I went to Redmond, Madras and Bend to watch the eclipse a couple of weeks ago. Had a barbecue with some friends in Redmond. Central Oregon is lovely. Love going to Bend to go to the breweries. Trillium Lake and the parks are good. River rafting is fun.

 

[Nikhil]

I woke up yesterday morning and saw it raining ash. Air quality was very bad. Could barely breathe. It's become better today but it's still rather hazy. Daft twats, the lot who started this.

 

[evra]

Was hoping to get here before someone blamed this on global warming. Too late.

 

[Nucks]

Was hoping to get here before someone blamed this on global warming. Too late.

Except it's quantifiably proven that the Mountain Pine Beetle range has expanded in the last 20 years because of warmer temperatures in Northern Canada and presumably Alaska as well. These fires are not burning that far north as far as I know. However, what the feck do you think millions of dead, dry, trees are going to do when they catch fire. Logic. Do. You. Have. It.

Spoiler

Also, if anything, I was blaming it on poor forest management. 20-30 years ago, when Pine Beetle ravaged an area, that area was typically harvested post-haste. That practice slowed, and then has largely stopped in most areas, allowing entire forests of dead trees to just sit there. If you've spent anytime in the outdoors, West or British Columbia, you will be aware of shit like this.

All those red trees, are dead. All those grey trees? Deader.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Warmer winter temps in the north have allowed the pine beetle to expand its range north. Fact. I used the example of Prince George to highlight how devastating the beetle is, and how quickly it can create enormous fuel loads for wild fires to burn through. Living, green timber burns slower and cooler than dead, dry timber. When an entire area can go from thriving green, healthy forests to 75%+ dead in less than a decade, yea, that's going to cause wild fires to go out of fecking control rapidly.

 

[711]

It will be interesting to see what grows in place of the pines and what the new ecology will be, post-pine and post-fire, though more for future generations than mine I'm afraid.
I'm not downplaying the damage done or looking to cause offence by the way.