Human-Caused Wildfires Burn 17,230 More Oregon Acres This Year Than Last

Email to a friend Permalink

Monday, September 29, 2014

Shelby Sebens, GoLocalPDX Reporter

Human-caused fires have burned six times more land in Oregon this year than last. 

So far in 2014, human-caused fires destroyed 17,230 more acres than last year and started 46 more fires on 16 million acres of private and public forest lands, according to Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Rod Nichols. Experts suspect that people burning debris may be largely to blame.

“Two-thirds of the fires in Oregon are started by people,” said Kristin Babbs, president of Keep Oregon Green, a nonprofit fire-education group. “We can’t prevent the lightning, but we can prevent those human-caused fires.” 

Human-caused fires can be sparked by anything from an unattended campfire to discarded cigarettes to debris burning. The state is reviewing whether there was an uptick in a particular type of human-caused fire this year, but Babbs said people burning backyard debris are most likely the culprits.

“Burning debris is our No. 1 issue in the state,” Babbs said. She suggested people make sure they always have fire suppression tools on hand - a shovel and a bucket of water or a charged garden hose. Monitoring an open fire continually from start to finish until dead out is required by state law, to ensure that any escaped sparks or embers can be extinguished quickly.

“If they’re going to light it, they need to be prepared to fight it,” she said, adding people should also check with their local fire district to see if fires are allowed in their area. 

The Conditions 

Nichols said the good weather this summer contributed to the spread of the human-caused wildfires. 

“When there are lots of warm, sunny days such as we experienced this spring and summer, people tend to take advantage of the nice conditions and spend more time outdoors camping, doing work on their property,” Nichols said. “This spring was not as rainy as some years. When it is cool and rainy, people don’t flock to the forest. That means less campfires and other potential sparks for wildfires."

Although this year hasn't been as bad on the whole as 2013 was for fires – the state faced a historic fire season, with the most acres burned on state-protected lands in more than 60 years – there was a big increase in the number caused by humans. The number of fires caused by humans this year was 662 compared to 616 last year.

The number of such blazes is also up significantly over the 10-year average, in which humans were responsible for 599 fires and 3,268 acres burned. 

Gov. John Kitzhaber enacted more conflagration acts this year than any other time in the past decade, invoking the aid of the state fire marshal to assist local firefighters.

Kitzhaber strongly believes the increase in wildfires in the past couple of years, compared to the 10-year average, is attributable to climate change. His opponent Dennis Richardson, a Republican, argues the problem lies with Kitzhaber’s land-management policies. 

Fires have cost Oregon and Washington more than $429 million this season, Nichols said. 

Humans also spur wildfires through equipment use; for example, lawnmowers hitting rocks and sparking fires, or vehicles igniting tall grass with a hot exhaust system, Nichols said. 

Babbs said the second most common cause of such fires is equipment usage and the third is unattended campfires. 

Related Articles

• Richardson Claims Kitzhaber’s Forest Management Policy Contributing to Fires
• Grant From Oregon State Parks Will Fund Natural Play Area At Oxbow Regional Park

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Email to a friend Permalink