Forest Service close to awarding new airtanker contracts

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Vilsack says latest contracts could also face protests, despite efforts to minimize potential issues

Feds mobilizing air resources for wildfire season. PHOTO COURTESY KARI GREER/USFS.

Federal contracts for airtankers have still not been finalized for the 2013 wildfire season. Photo courtesy Kari Greer/USFS.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Last week’s Galena Fire near Fort Collins was a stark reminder that firefighters need to be ready for the upcoming season, which could be long and hot in of the country.

Wrangling over air tanker contracts has already delayed Forest Service efforts to bring new planes online, but U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack this week said he’s done everything possible to make sure that up to seven “next-generation” large air tankers will be available for the 2013 fire season. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, federal government, US Forest Service, wildfires | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Watershed restoration funding back on track for Colorado

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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EWP funding will help restore areas burned in the High Park Fire. Photo courtesy USFS.

Federal dollars to help areas affected by High Park, Waldo Canyon fires

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Persistence by Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet paid off this week, as the U.S. Senate passed legislation that includes $65.5 million to help communities like El Paso County and Larimer County repair watersheds damaged in last summer’s wildfires.

Udall said it was a major victory for Colorado, with  Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program funds also included in the Continuing Resolution that passed the U.S. House of Representatives. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, wildfires | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Colorado: First major wildfire erupts near Fort Collins

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Are earlier wildfires part of a new climate norm?

SUMMIT COUNTY — As drought conditions persist in Colorado, the trend toward earlier wildfires continues, with the 1,000-acre Galena Fire threatening homes and requiring the evacuation of at least 50 people near Fort Collins.

News outlets and emergency service agencies are streaming information, photos and links about the fire at the #galenafire hashtag. The latest information from Larimer County is at: http://larimersheriff.org/press-release/galena-fire.

The was first reported by Larimer County Emergency Information at about 1 p.m. on Friday, March 15. The fire is burning near Horsetooth Reservoir, not too far from the edge of last summer’s High Park Fire. The Galena Fire initially threatened the visitor center at Lory State Park.

Larimer County officials said Saturday morning they believe the fire was human-caused and estimated its size between 750 and 1,000 acres. They are expecting additional ground crews and a Type 2 helicopter to help fight the fire during the weekend.

Firefighters reported calmer conditions by late in the evening, but expressed concerns about the potential for gusty winds associated with an incoming weather system. That approaching storm may also deliver some showers and higher humidity to help firefighters get the upper hand on the blaze.

Last year in March, a prescribed fire managed by the Colorado State Forest Service grew out of control in Jefferson County. The Lower North Fork Fire ultimately spread across thousands of acres, destroying homes and killing two peoople.

Summit County also saw a March wildfire last year along Montezuma Road, with firefighters standing on roadside snow berms while battling flames in the adjacent forest. In January, forecasters had to issue an almost unprecedented red flag warning for parts of the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, forest fires, forests, global warming, wildfires | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Udall says red tape threatens aerial firefighting efforts

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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A June, 2011 wildlfire burns in Keystone Gulch, Summit County, Colorado Bob Berwyn photo.

Contracting delayed by procedural protests

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Along with the threat of looming budget cuts from sequestration, Forest Service efforts to prepare for the impending wildfire season could be hampered by hiccups in the contracting process for air tankers, according to U.S. Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO).

Udall, who serves on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is urgin private contractors to respect the U.S. Forest Service’s upcoming decision to award contracts to several U.S. companies to supply next-generation air tankers.

More information on the air tanker contract issue is online at Wildfire Today and Fire Aviation, where a recent post indicates the Forest Service expects to finalize contracts in the next couple of months. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Drought, Environment, public lands, wildfires | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Colorado: Governor forms new wildfire advisory groups

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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A Summit County firefighter tackles a roadside blaze in March, 2012 near Keystone, Colorado. Bob Berwyn photo.

Red Zone population increases. climate change and continued drought add urgency to the wildfire discussions

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Responding to last summer’s destructive Colorado wildfires, Gov. John Hickenlooper this week authorized creation of new advisory groups to try reduce the impacts of future fires and to try and reduce the chances of big fires in residential areas.

Last year, the High Park and Waldo Canyon fires destroyed hundreds of homes near Fort Collins and Colorado Springs, costing millions of dollars in damages and relocation costs, as well as firefighting and post-burn restoration. (more…)

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Colorado: Are January red flag fire warnings in the mountains part of a new climate reality?

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Click on the map for red flag fire warning details.

*UPDATED: The red flag warning was lifted Thursday (Jan. 24) afternoon as cooler weather moves into the area. Check http://www.crh.noaa.gov/den/ for the latest.

January fire warnings, nearly unprecedented 30 years ago, have become more common the last decade

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Illustrating the persistence of extraordinary drought conditions in parts of Colorado, the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag fire warning for the Rocky Mountain foothills west of Denver north to the Wyoming border and encompassing areas that were scorched by last summer’s High Park Fire.

Boulder-based National Weather Service forecaster Mike Baker said the agency decided to post the warning after three wildfires were reported Wednesday (Jan. 24) within the span of an hour. All three fires were above 8.500 feet elevation on the east slope of the mountains along the Front Range, Baker said. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, global warming, La Niña, wildfires | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Feds prepping for what could be another bad wildfire season

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
The High Park Fire burns west of Fort Collins in June, 2012.

The High Park Fire burns west of Fort Collins in June, 2012.

Comments wanted on draft fire management strategy

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — After an exceptional western fire season that included the largest wildfire ever in New Mexico, the second-largest in Colorado and the largest in Oregon since the 1860s, land managers are starting to brace for another long summer.

With parts of the West facing a second consecutive year of drought, there is some concern that 2013 could be even worse than 2012, which ended up ranked third all-time for the amount of land impact by wildfires. According to the year-end stats, wildfires burned across a footprint of about 9.2 million acres. All three of the biggest wildfire seasons on record have occurred during the past 10 years, coinciding with the hottest decade on record. (more…)

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Climate: All-time record temps, wildfires in Australia

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Summer heatwave sets records in Australia.

100 homes destroyed in Tasmania

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Parts of southern Australia have recorded all-time high temperatures readings in the past few days, and the heat wave has led to numerous wildfires, including blazes in Tasmania that have destroyed about 100 homes.

Hobart, Tasmania reported a high temperature of 108 degrees Friday, the warmest reading ever on the island south of Australia, with records going back to 1880.

Temperatures across much of Australia were in the 90s and 100s during the first part of the weekend, and wildfires are also burning in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Two wet years in a row, followed by this summer’s heatwave, have combined for dangerous fire conditions, officials said. (more…)

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Senate bill could boost wildfire restoration efforts

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
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A bill passed by the U.S. Senate could help additional restoration efforts in areas scarred by wildfires last summer. Photo courtesy PSICC.

‘Water is precious’

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Colorado communities hit hard by this past summer’s wildfires could get some help with restoring damaged watershed, as the U.S. Senate passed a disaster recovery bill that includes a boost in resources  to support Colorado’s watershed recovery efforts.

If the House passes the bill, the $125 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program likely will be used, in part, to repair watershed damages that El Paso, Larimer and Weld counties sustained during this year’s wildfire season.

“Water is precious in Colorado, especially right now during the worst drought in years,” said Senator Michael Bennet. “This bill will provide help for the Colorado communities that are recovering from the devastating fires this summer and are now facing threats to their water supply and the risk of flooding at the same time. I am hopeful our colleagues in the House will quickly pass the bill and deliver this support to the communities that need it,” Bennet said. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, forest fires, forests, wildfires | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Senate balks on wildfire preparedness funding

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Udall amendment would have boosted Forest Service readiness

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A crown fire burns through a western forest. Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Along with budget gridlock, the U.S. Senate this week rejected an effort by two western senators to fully fund the U.S. Forest Service’s wildfire budget for 2013.

Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) had previously offered a budget amendment to pay for pre-placement of firefighters and equipment in anticipation of a wildfire season that could be even worse than last summer’s, which included the two most destructive wildfires in Colorado history, the High Park and Waldo Canyon fires.

“These additional funds would have ensured that the U.S. Forest Service was prudently and appropriately prepared to help prevent and fight catastrophic wildfires next year in Colorado and across the West,” Udall said. “I am concerned that the U.S. Senate has decided to turn a blind eye to these predictable disaster needs,” he said. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, forest fires, forests, US Forest Service, wildfires | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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