Thanks to a surge of colder, wetter weather, public land agencies are finally putting to bed the 2022 wildfire season in Oregon. Oregon Department of Forestry announced last week that its fire season has concluded. ODF said that the arrival of steady, soaking rain coupled with cooler temperatures and shorter day lengths typically triggers the closure of fire season, and this year is no different. “The end of fire season removes restrictions on ODF-protected lands intended to prevent wildfire, such as on backyard debris burning and use of certain equipment,” ODF stated, before noting, “Many structural fire departments in Oregon, however, still require a permit for debris burning, so check with your local fire department before starting a burn.” Year to date, there have been 844 fires on ODF-protected lands, which resulted in 34,105 acres burned and 96% of fires put out at 10 acres or less.

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Palmer Gulch fire is a good reminder that wildfires aren’t limited to the summer. And, while wildfires can be devastating, there is also some good that can come from them.  Usually, a wildfire refers to an uncontrolled fire, but according to National Geographic, “the term ‘wildland fire’ is broader and includes fires purposefully set as part of prescribed burns.” All fires have the possibility of becoming dangerous.  But for many ecosystems, these periodic fires help by clearing out dead organic materials that have built up on the ground over time that, once burned, release helpful nutrients into the ground.  “Nitrogen is a really big one released into the soil. And one of the really nice things about what this fire can do is that it’ll remove a lot of that duff and needle cast build-up,” said Brian Rafferty, Palmer Gulch Wildfire planning section chief.

Officials are resuming efforts to plan an approximately 16,500-acre timber project that would take place south of West Yellowstone, just outside the western border of Yellowstone National Park. The Custer Gallatin National Forest announced in October it had revised its draft environmental assessment for the South Plateau Landscape Area Treatment Project, and a 30-day comment period is open until Nov. 5. The website where a form exists for commenting can be found here. If it’s approved, crews would conduct an estimated 5,551 acres of scattered clear-cuts, 6,593 acres of commercial thinning, 2,514 acres of noncommercial thinning and 1,804 acres of additional fuels treatments in the project area. Lodgepole pine stands dominate the area that would be logged, and the Forest Service wrote that over 26,000 of those acres are highly susceptible to mountain pine beetle due to ”the homogenous size, age and tree spacing.”