Agencies brace for wildfire season
KATIE HARTWIG/Hagadone News Network Idaho Department of Lands firefighters Trevor Livingston, left, and Travis Hixon work together to contain a controlled fire during a demonstration on Thursday.
KATIE HARTWIG/PressForestry workers work together to contain demonstration fire, Thursday.
KATIE HARTWIG/PressForestry workers work together to contain demonstration fire, Thursday.
KATIE HARTWIG/PressForestry workers work together to contain demonstration fire, Thursday.
KATIE HARTWIG/Presswraps up hose after containing fire for the demonstration, Thursday at Wolf Lodge.
KATIE HARTWIG/Pressgo back to engine after extinguishing demonstration fire Thursday.
JAKE PARRISH/PressFirefighters from the Idaho Department of Lands deploy emergency fire shelters during a demonstration on Thursday at the Funk Family Tree Farm in Wolf Lodge.
JAKE PARRISH/PressIdaho Department of Lands firefighter Mark Maret sprays water along the perimeter of a controlled burn during a demonstration on Thursday at the Funk Family Tree Farm in Wolf Lodge. The demonstration, put on by the Mica Fire Protection District and the Idaho Forest Products Commission, was aimed to show educators in the area how wildland firefighters operate.
By BRIAN WALKER
Hagadone News Network
COEUR d'ALENE — With hot temperatures becoming more common, wildfire season in North Idaho has heated up.
With last year's season and wakeup call still a clear memory, fire agencies are on high alert even with the precipitation received in the region so far this year.
"Between September 2015 and June 1, 2016, northern Idaho has experienced an average to slightly above average amount of precipitation," said Sharla Arledge, Idaho Department of Lands public information officer. "That same timeframe, however, also recorded above average temperatures. What that has led to is an earlier loss of snowpack at the mid and higher elevations.
"The fire season outlook for northern Idaho is looking better than a year ago although there is still potential for a significant fire season."
Last year's season was extreme and included the Cape Horn Fire near Bayview — in which 1,200 acres and eight buildings were burned, families were forced from their homes and tourism season was disrupted.
This year's season, condition-wise, is off to a mixed-bag start.
"It really depends on the specific location," said Shane O'Shea, who works in the Mica District of the IDL. "We are seeing several locations receiving higher amounts of moisture, but some places are drier than they should be for this time of year."
O'Shea said his district — knock on wood — is off to a "very mild season" with just one fire on the books.
"We had six fires this time last year," he said.
Arledge said precipitation in North Idaho in March was well above normal, which has led to a larger amount of lighter fuels such as grass.
"The grass is still green which means that rapid fire growth is unlikely right now," she said. "However, as the summer progresses and these fuels begin to dry out, it could lead to fires growing quickly and adding to the difficulty of containing them during initial attack."
Arledge said there are always variables that influence the severity of the fire season, including precipitation.
"We are coming out of an El Nino year and (predictions indicate) for the summer months across northern Idaho the weather pattern will be around average precipitation and above average temperatures," she said.
IDL protects 6.3 million acres statewide as nearly 200 permanent and seasonal fire personnel are getting prepared for action. The state program complements the work of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management on federal lands.
"Our goal is to take strong aggressive action with new fire starts and keep fires to less than 10 acres on state-protected lands," State Forester David Groeschl said.
With the Fourth of July approaching, IDL cautions the public that fireworks are prohibited on all forest and range lands in Idaho during the closed fire season from May 10 through Oct. 20.
"Public help in preventing forest fires is critical to reduce costs and new fires," Gov. Butch Otter said. "Nearly half of new fires are person-caused, and they are preventable if recreationists, homeowners and travelers use extra caution during the summer."