Northwest Fire Danger

[AHayes111]

One hundred years of fuel build up, dry winter, enough rain in the spring to grow a good grass crop followed by a hot dry July and conditions are ripe for a big fire. Throw in high hot wind blowing up from the SE and you are looking at a fire that is unstoppable. Remington fire burned from WY to Birney over night. Went the rest of the way north the next day. The Tongue River Breaks Riding and Hiking Aria is entirely burnt along with quite a bit more of the Custer Forest.

 

[BackcountryIdaho]

Yes it is

Any reports of wildlife losses? It doesn't look like the mountain goat family near banner would have fared too well.

 

[TaperPin]

One hundred years of fuel build up, dry winter, enough rain in the spring to grow a good grass crop followed by a hot dry July and conditions are ripe for a big fire. Throw in high hot wind blowing up from the SE and you are looking at a fire that is unstoppable. Remington fire burned from WY to Birney over night. Went the rest of the way north the next day. The Tongue River Breaks Riding and Hiking Aria is entirely burnt along with quite a bit more of the Custer Forest.

Fuel reduction is talked about a lot, but reduced budgets puts that on the back burner and people hate real fuel breaks.

One year I tagged along with a couple of hand crews of firefighters that were put on standby in southern Colorado - so there was a stretch of continuous pine near a number of housing developments and they thought it would be great if we could thin trees in a 100’ swath for 20’ canopy breaks and stack them as firewood. I had to clarify no canopies closer than 20’ within this 100’ wide band, which would include the sides of the band. Yep. Ok. That was a schitt ton of trees. 40 guys didn’t make it a couple hundred yards in one week. The area we finished completely freaked out the local residents with giant slash piles and so much firewood. Karen and Ken thought we were loggers. Helll, we felt like loggers. Lol

 

[arudelic]

Whole front range was on fire a few weeks ago in CO...

 

[mtnwrunner]

Any reports of wildlife losses? It doesn't look like the mountain goat family near banner would have fared too well.

Actually I think that family has fared well. There is about a mile stretch that didn't get touched and it's right where they live.

Randy

 

[IDLassie]

Wapiti fire jumped hwy 21 tonight with the wild winds they are getting down there with this cold front coming in.
We're smoked in bad now.

 

[.204smokechaser]

Wapiti fire jumped hwy 21 tonight with the wild winds they are getting down there with this cold front coming in.
We're smoked in bad now.

Sure is going to look different down there after this one but I think a lot of folks saw this coming with the state of the lodgepole stands down there.