Forecast for Coming Wildfire Season

Forecast for Coming Wildfire Season

Earlier this week US Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell shared the following tentative forecast for this coming wildfire season with the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Tidwell: “This year with our projections we are looking at less active year than we had last year but we are seeing areas where we are getting a very warm spring and we are seeing the snow coming off the low areas. That is a concern. So that in our lower elevations we now are looking at maybe an early fire season. Our higher country is going to be in much better shape than it was last year at least out West. So we may not have those large fires in the high elevations but come September it is going to dry out. So for FY 16, we are 90 percent confident that the cost of this fire season is going to between somewhere around $700 million to $1.72 billion.”
Tidwell also again asked lawmakers to change the way the growing expenses for fighting wildfires from the Forest Service budget to be funded as natural disasters. That way the agency isn’t having to take its forest maintenance and fire prevention budgets to fight these wildfires. Unfortunately using the very monies that could be used to proactively prevent the fires.

 

Previous ReportMore on Preparing for Breeding Season
Next ReportWolf Bill Awaits Governor Brown's Signature