By Jonathan Oppenheimer – senior conservation associate
A new report answers some of the questions raised by the 2007 Idaho fire season.
Two million acres burned in Idaho last summer. That’s a lot of country.
Usually federal firefighting agencies attack fires head on, digging firelines, bombing the fires with fire retardant and evacuating communities that stand in the path. Over the years, we’ve learned that this approach might look good on the evening news, but that it’s often rain and snow that puts fires out.
Last year, Idaho fire teams accepted this reality and focused on point protection on many of the large fire central Idaho fires. Instead of trying to stop a fire in its tracks, fire teams tried to corral the fires and to prepare homes and communities for the arrival of the fire (removing brush, wrapping cabins in fire-retardant material and installing sprinkler systems).
Finally, we learned that Idaho led the nation with natural fires that were managed in the backcountry to reduce costs and restore natural areas.
Bottom line: things are changing in the world of fire and Idaho’s fire managers are leading the way.
