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Long-term forecast predicts increased forest fire activity in Oregon and Washington’s dampest areas

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Long-term forecast predicts increased forest fire activity in Oregon and Washington’s dampest areas


Hotter and more intense fires are likely coming to the Pacific Northwest’s cooler and wetter forests. That’s from new research led by an Oregon State University scientist.

Parts of the Cascades Region of Washington and Oregon are going to become increasingly susceptible to increased fire activity in the coming decades, according to new research.

Brian Bull / KLCC

Comprehensive wildfire simulations for over a 23-million acre stretch of forest show that for a 30-year period beginning in 2035, Oregon’s western Cascades and Washington’s north Cascades — as well as the Puget Lowlands and Olympic Mountains — could see at least twice as much fire activity as seen in the last 30 years.

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“It’s time to start thinking about things that could counteract those climate effects,” said Alex Dye. He’s a research associate with OSU’s College of Forestry, and the lead author on the study published in the latest edition of JGR Biogeosciences.

“As we move forward into this research, the logical next steps are to explore those other pieces like ignition and vegetation changes, and how that can all interact with climate to further refine these future fire risk projections,” added Dye.

To many residents of the Pacific Northwest, these predictions may be surprising given the dense lushness of these areas. But researchers say modeling indicates that as the climate continues to get warmer and drier, fires in these cool and wet spaces will increase in probability, size, and number.

“Those forests are so ingrained in the natural history and the socioeconomics and the lived experience of being in the western PNW,” Dye told KLCC. “So adding in more fire that affects those resources from a variety of directions is a big deal and is something to think about as we move into the next 30 years.”

Dye said that it can be challenging to assess fire probability in an environment where there isn’t much empirical information about the fire history to build models. And the comparative infrequency of fire makes it easy for the general public to regard the PNW “Westside” as a low-risk area. But recent conflagrations like those observed around Labor Day 2020 – which also led to Oregon’s worst wildfire season no record — can show what can happen when fires do erupt in these areas.

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Affected resources range from drinking water to timber, as well as residents and wildlife.

Dye’s work is a collaboration with Matt Reilly, Karin Riley, John Kim, and Becky Kerns of the U.S. Forest Service, and OSU co-researchers Andy McEvoy and Rebecca Lemons. The U.S.F.S team members work at the Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center, the Pacific Northwest Research Station, or the Rocky Mountain Research Center.

The Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center and the Pacific Northwest Research Station Westside Fire Initiative supported the research.

Copyright 2024, KLCC.



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Pentagon readies 1,500 troops to possibly deploy to Minnesota, US media say

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Pentagon readies 1,500 troops to possibly deploy to Minnesota, US media say


  • Trump had threatened Insurrection Act to control protests against ICE
  • Minnesota governor mobilizes National Guard amid rising tensions
  • 11th Airborne Division soldiers in Alaska on standby, reports say
  • Confrontations high after ICE agent killed Renee Good
Jan 18 (Reuters) – The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, the site of large protests against the government’s deportation drive, U.S. media reported on Sunday.

The army placed the units on prepare-to-deploy orders in case violence in the northern state escalates, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed defense officials, adding that it is not clear whether any of them will be sent.

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The White House told the Post in a statement that it is typical for the Pentagon “to be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make.” The Pentagon and the White House did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters for comment.

President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to use the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces if officials in the state do not stop protesters from targeting immigration officials after a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

THREAT OF TROOPS FOLLOWS SURGE OF IMMIGRATION AGENTS

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The soldiers subject to deployment specialize in cold-weather operations and are assigned to two U.S. Army infantry battalions under the 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska, the Post and ABC News reported.

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Confrontations between residents and federal officers have become increasingly tense in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s most-populous city, after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, on January 7 as she was driving away after being ordered to exit her car.

Trump, a Republican, has sent nearly 3,000 federal agents from ICE and Border Patrol to Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul since early last week, as part of a wave of interventions, mostly to cities run by Democratic politicians.

He has said troop deployments in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Memphis and Portland, Oregon, are necessary to fight crime and protect federal property and personnel from protesters. But this month he said he was removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, which have faced legal setbacks and challenges.

Local leaders have accused the president of federal overreach and of exaggerating isolated episodes of violence to justify sending in troops.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, against whom the Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation, has mobilized the state’s National Guard, opens new tab to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies, the state Department of Public Safety posted on X on Saturday.
Trump has repeatedly invoked a scandal around the theft of federal funds intended for social-welfare programs in Minnesota as a rationale for sending immigration agents in. The president and administration officials have repeatedly singled out the state’s community of Somali immigrants.

The Insurrection Act is a federal law that gives the president the power to deploy the military or federalize National Guard troops inside the U.S. to quell domestic uprisings.

The law can be invoked when there are “unlawful obstructions, combinations or assemblages or rebellion” against federal authority. If the president deems those conditions have been met, he may use the armed forces to take actions “to enforce those laws or suppress the rebellion.

Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and William Mallard

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Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab



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Bellevue vs. Renton: Watch Washington boys high school basketball tilt live tonight

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Bellevue vs. Renton: Watch Washington boys high school basketball tilt live tonight


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Bellevue travels to Renton High School on Friday night for a nonleague matchup that pits two surging programs coming in on win streaks. The Wolverines (12-2) enter riding momentum from last season’s state quarterfinal appearance, while the Red Hawks (7-8) look to build consistency under head coach Rashaad Powell.

Head coach Warren King returns a deep senior class led by Jackson Skaggs, Max Harrity, Eduardo Molina, Kenny Shin, Trevin King and Nick Norrah. The Wolverines also feature junior Tayten Jones, giving them a balanced roster capable of competing with any team in the state.

The Red Hawks counter with their own weapons. Senior Isaac Elegan anchors the lineup, while junior scorer Sudan Luok provides offensive firepower. Junior co-captains Julius White-Kelly, Nick Jarvis and Jalen Taylor round out a core that has shown flashes this season.

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Opening tipoff is set for 8 p.m. PT on Friday, January 16 with a live TV broadcast on NFHS Network.

• WATCH: Bellevue vs. Renton basketball is livestreaming on NFHS Network

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How to watch Bellevue vs. Renton basketball livestream

What: Wolverines, Red Hawks set for Friday night Showdown in Renton

When: Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. PT on Friday, January 16

Where: Renton High School | Renton, Washington

Watch live: Watch Bellevue vs. Renton live on the NFHS Network



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National Guard troops to stay on Washington, DC, streets through 2026

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National Guard troops to stay on Washington, DC, streets through 2026


WASHINGTON (AP) — National Guard troops will be on the streets of Washington, D.C., until the end of the year, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press.

The memo, signed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and dated Wednesday, said “the conditions of the mission” warranted an extension past the end of next month to continue supporting President Donald Trump’s “ongoing efforts to restore law and order.”

Meanwhile, Trump said this month that for now he was dropping his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, which had provoked legal challenges. He also backed off a bit Friday from his threat a day earlier to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to quell protests in Minnesota.

In Washington, troops have been charged with patrolling the streets and picking up trash. Trump has asserted repeatedly that crime has vanished in the city.

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Two National Guard troops from West Virginia that were part of the mission in D.C. were shot the day before Thanksgiving. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries.

The National Guard has about 2,400 troops in Washington, with about 700 from D.C. and the rest from 11 states with Republican governors, including Indiana, South Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma.



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