With wildfires burning throughout the West, Coloradans can breathe a cautious sigh of relief. Despite predictions for a fire season on par with the disastrous 2002, we’ve mostly been spared.
However, smoke from raging fires in Montana and Idaho has hung over the metro area for much of the past week, a reminder that our neighbors haven’t been so lucky.
So far this season, about 1,890 fires have burned 92,800 acres in Colorado. In 2002 the Hayman fire burned 138,000 acres.
We’re fortunate that June’s scorching heat gave way to July’s monsoons and August’s afternoon showers. The precipitation helped to tamp down fire danger and allow firefighters to get quick control of some blazes.
But the rest of the West has seen what could be the worst season in years. With many late-season fires still burning, and higher-than-normal temperatures on the horizon, the end is nowhere in sight.
About 50 active fires were burning across the West on Monday, having charred more than a million acres. Areas of Montana, Idaho and Washington state have been hit particularly hard. In total, some 81,500 fires have burned 8.7 million acres across the U.S. But, all the fires havent led to a big increase in the amount of acreage burned. Last year, 47,786 official fires scorched 8 million acres. The 2006 results are a testament to the skill and quick response of local, state and federal firefighting crews.
Politicians in Washington long have turned a blind eye to fire prevention in the West, preferring to provide funds for putting out fires rather than preventing them. That’s begun to change, and we welcome the extra attention. Colorado received about $26 million this year to thin overcrowded and insect-damaged trees on 87,000 acres of national forest. Even so, much more needs to be done. The U.S. Forest Service says about 140,000 acres a year should be treated over the next decade.
Colorado’s legislature smartly jumped into the fray this year, earmarking $3.2 million of severance-tax revenues for fire fighting and preparedness. Every little bit helps.
