CONSERVATION
WILDFIRE
A lthough my first severe weather-related experience after moving to Idaho almost 20 years ago was a heavy snowstorm followed by very little urban snow re- moval activity, I also soon discovered that the Northwest United States has a rather definitive fire season. An average of 42% of the land across Washington, Idaho and Mon- tana is forested, and Idaho has the highest percentage (40%) of national forest land. The designated fire sea - son in Washington and Montana is May through October, with Idaho’s fire season beginning in June, peak - ing in July and August, and tapering off later in September. Still, the wind
amount and length of snow melt in the spring, as well as late spring and early fall rains can mitigate drought and shorten the season on both ends, although wildfires can happen dur - ing any time of the year. Season- al temperatures also play a role, as well as land use, land management, fire suppression policies, recreation - al activities, fuel availability and fre- quency of lightning storms. The Washington Department of Natural Resources fights around 900 wildland fires per year, and 70% of those are in the Eastern part of the state, close to Idaho. Most are small, but with the right conditions, any wildfire can spread to devour hun -
sends smoke from all the other states straight up through the Panhandle. The Western Fire Chiefs Association publishes detailed guides to when fire season is, how long it can last, pre- cautions to take, up-to-date fire maps, and what the risk factors are for not only these three states, but also Alas- ka, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Ne- vada, Oregon and Utah. (wfca.com) But first, what does fire season mean? Northwest fire season refers to the driest months in this part of the country that create the right conditions for high risk of wildfires. These conditions are influenced by a combination of climate, environ- ment and the human factor. The
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