Autumn rains have arrived! The Oregon wildfire season officially ended on October 28, 2024. It was a record-breaking season with more than 1.9 million acres burned.
Six eastern Oregon counties were hit by “extreme infernos.” Forty two homes and 132 other structures were destroyed, 26 people were injured, and an air tanker pilot died.
Closer to home, the Bingham fire near Marion Forks was contained at 200 acres. The Pyramid fire located east of the Middle Santiam Wilderness was controlled at 1312 acres after 90 days of fire fighting and $13 million of expenses.
We are thankful that local firefighters were able to protect us and our natural resources this year.
Climate change is commonly blamed for the large fires we have experienced in the past couple decades. Please know climate change is a minor contributing cause. The choice to stop removing 5 billion board feet of annual growth over the past 30 years, plus closing roads and discontinuing road maintenance, has made controlling fires much more difficult. The federal land managers’ change in fire suppression policy has also greatly contributed to the problem.
Let’s hope the incoming Trump Administration will increase forest management and remove the heavy fuel loads in the forest by logging and putting people back to work providing shelter Americans need.
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