Preventing future wildfires in Oregon
By Alyssa Sanchez ‘23
“Wildfires are a growing concern and will only grow in severity. I think this year's fires demonstrate we need an urban fire plan, not just another forest management plan,” Jennefer Yrugas, former employee of the Bureau for Land Management and ecologist wrote in an email.
Courtesy of Joey Schofield. Forest restoration to prevent future wildfres.
The right forestry management and restoration with the help of policies and private wildfire firefighting companies can help mitigate the damage of wildfires and maintain the natural environment in Oregon.
New forest management and policies hope to be implemented as early as the fall or spring of 2021 to regrow and recover the 1 million acres of forests that burned from the wildfires in September of this year. There has been growing concern on how to preserve our Oregon’s wildlife and regrow the portions damaged.
Joey Schofield is a resident of Oregon and private firefighter and wilderness restoration employee of Miller Timber Services, one of the largest private wildfire and restoration companies in the Pacific Northwest.
According to Schofield, fires are a natural way to ensure the health and growth of vegetation in forests. By letting some areas naturally burn, it allows a cycle of new nutrients back into the soil, maintains invasive species, minimizes the spread of pests and diseases, improves habitat for native and endangered species, promotes the growth of trees, and releases seeds for new trees to grow.
“Fires that are only burning forest and not structures and not threatening endangered environments could be left to naturally burn,” Yrugas wrote in an email explaining how wildfires can help our environment.. “Remember that burns in forest are an important part of the ecosystem structure. Burns release seeds and allow for natural change.”
In recent years, Schofield says there has not necessarily been an influx of wildfires in Oregon, but rather a rise in fires near populated and residential areas.
Densely populated and dry forests can be dangerous during the wildfire seasons in Oregon. Schofield assures the dangers in the area were known, but little sufficient action was taken by the Oregon state government to mechanically thin the dry densely populated forests before September. He acknowledged, however, that the government cannot be completely at fault since the area was so expansive.
Companies like Miller Timber Services try to mitigate the problems these wildfires create for the populace and protect areas that are likely to be affected.
“If we change the practices for forest management, it’s going to take a generational change,” Schofield explained. “It is not going to happen in the next 10 to 15 years. It’s going to have to be a thing done over generations.”
Some private and public land owners in Oregon and California have not necessarily prioritized wildfire mitigation. Most landowners, especially those in California with acres of beautiful landscape, may opt out of wildfire prevention work to ensure the picturesque scenery and value of their property.
In places like California where wildfires are an integral part of the environment, Schofield described that some land is known to be high risk for wildfires. For reasons unknown, these lands are used regardless and the risk to the citizenry can be concerning.
Schofield expands on this idea by stating firefighters, like police officers and paramedics, are expected to be dispatched to areas where the need is great. In a perfect world with the right resources, most fires would be mitigated to protect the environment and wildlife, but under the current circumstances, fires near the populace and rural areas at risk take priority and are covered in the news. For instance, Schofied has experienced fires in Nevada that scorches hundreds of acres of land, but are not covered widely in the news because their proximity to the populace is almost nonexistent.
Many times the right option is just to contain the fire and prevent spreading to populated areas.
Immediate action is still being taken with Senate bills trying to be passed with the strong support of Governor Kate Brown, including Senate Bill 1514 which intends to reinvigorate a program with 15 projects to help stop the spread of future wildfires. Southwest and Central Oregon are the intended location of the action to be taken as early as fall or spring of 2021.
The treatment includes prescribed burning and trimming as mitigation efforts.
“The best plans are multifaceted and take into account competing interests,” says Yrugas.