Astoria, Ore. — With much of Oregon abnormally dry or experiencing drought, communities on the North Coast aren’t sure what to expect as fire season approaches, but some wildfire protection measures have taken on a new significance.
Putting aside the catastrophic fires like the Tillamook Burn that blazed decades ago, wildfire has not been a major concern on the coast for some until recently.
But the Labor Day fires that burned across Oregon last year and filled North Coast skies with smoke and ash set off alarm bells.
The fires were not so much a wake-up call as a reminder that the coast is not immune to the threat. A shift in the wind can carry flames here, while a dropped cigarette, a carelessly maintained campfire or logging operations can spark a disaster if conditions are right.
“I would say we were very fortunate last year in that we didn’t have a fire that wound up destroying a bunch of homes,” said Neal Bond, a protection unit forester with the state based in Astoria.
“But that could very easily happen here,” he added, echoing others involved in coastal forestry.
Fire access roads
In Cannon Beach, the Labor Day fires were fuel for further arguments by city leaders, firefighters and nearby timberland managers pushing for better fire access roads into the city’s Ecola Creek Forest Reserve.
The city-owned forestland protects the source of the city’s drinking water and conservation is a driving factor in how the land has been managed. Some city leaders and those involved with updating the reserve’s management plan worried that improving access could increase the risk of a human-caused fire, as well as negatively impact wildlife habitat.
Previous drafts of the plan called for limited access into the reserve, arguing that people are predominately to blame for many disastrous fires in the state. Build a road, the theory goes, and they will come.
But Cannon Beach Emergency Manager Rick Hudson, neighboring timber companies and district fire personnel countered that without key access roads, it was nearly impossible to respond effectively to a wildfire in the reserve. Power lines, another potential fire hazard, also swoop through one section.
The two sides have since landed on a compromise, a balance between how some road improvements could proceed and continued conservation efforts.
The management plan is now in front of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for review. The board provided critical funding that allowed the city to purchase the property in the first place. City leaders expect some degree of road improvement for wildfire access is in the reserve’s future.
For now, temporary “no smoking” signs have gone up outside the reserve at the request of City Councilor Robin Risley. City Manager Bruce St. Denis readily agreed to the new signs, especially, he said, “with the current drought.”
Most of Clatsop County is considered in moderate drought, while large chunks of the state are in severe to extreme drought, according to recent information provided through the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Despite recent rains, the North Coast experienced a dry — sometimes hot — spring, and there is little rain in sight in weather forecasts.
Already, fuel moisture levels are going back down on the coast. In other words, it’s dry out there, and getting drier. Bond estimates the North Coast is “three to four weeks ahead of schedule” in terms of just how dry things are.
Fire season
The Oregon Department of Forestry announced fire season in Clatsop County will begin Tuesday. A countywide burn ban will also go into effect Tuesday.
The state declaration affects all lands — public and private. Most other regions in Oregon are already considered in fire season. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are calling for the need for more federal resources to help families and businesses weather drought and wildfire conditions exacerbated by climate change.
Under the fire season declaration in Clatsop County, industrial forest operations, campfires and small, residential burns will be subject to various restrictions tied to state fire precaution levels. Clatsop County will begin at the lowest level — level 1 — on Tuesday.
Under the fire season declaration, open debris burning will not be allowed starting June 22. People who want to use burn barrels will need a permit.
The state makes fire season declarations each year when fire hazard conditions exist. Depending on the weather, this declaration usually begins in Clatsop County in late June or early July.
State forestry staff in Astoria prepare every year for fire season, gearing up to respond to issues on the North Coast, as well as to deploy resources to other regions.
But this year, Bond said, “I’d say we’re at a little bit higher concern than average.”
