Four small, lightning-caused wildfires in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area of the Nez Perce National Forest are being allowed to burn as a means of improving wildlife habitat and forest health.

Two of the fires are burning on a combined four acres in the northeast portion of Moose Creek – one near near Hungry Rock and another south of Big Creek Point. The other two fires are in the Running Creek drainage and have so far burned just over one acre.

Fire managers say that if either fire threatens to cross the Warm Spring Bar Road, they will consider closing the area for public safety.

Because of extreme fire danger in the region, Asotin County officials have placed an emergency ban on campfires. County Fire Marshal Karst Riggers says the combination of high temperatures and low humidity have made conditions ripe for wildfires.

County Fire Marshal Karst Riggers comments

Asotin County Fire District Assistant Chief Mike Holman says while campfires are still permitted inside Chief Timothy Park, the beaches located nearby will also fall under the campfire ban.

Asotin County Fire District Assistant Chief Mike Holman comments

Propane barbecues are allowed, however charcoal grills are not due to the open flame required to light briquettes. For more information contact the Asotin County Fire Marshal’s Office at (509) 243-2020 or the Asotin County Fire District Office at (509) 758-5181.

Recreationists planning to visit Dworshak Dam and Reservoir near Orofino, Idaho should be aware of fire conditions and temporary fire restrictions. Officials made the move at the request of the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protection Agency, which handles wildfire suppression efforts at and around the reservoir.
The forests surrounding Dworshak Reservoir have reached very dry conditions. In order to reduce the risk of wildfires, campfires – using established fire rings only – must be completely extinguished between 10AM and 6PM at all developed campgrounds and minicamps.
Officials say restrictions will be in effect until fire-risk conditions change. All visitors are asked to report smoke or fires to the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office or Dworshak personnel. For more information contact the Dworshak Visitor’s Center at (208) 476-1255.

Idaho’s wildfire season is off to a slow start compared to 2007 when wildfires burned a nation-high 1.9 million acres, but officials say that doesn’t mean the Gem State won’t see its share of large blazes.

A cold, wet winter and a cool, wet spring has lessened the severity of the start of Idaho’s wildfire season. So far, the state has seen 363 wildfires totaling 21,000 acres burned, while 544 fires had burned across 152,000 acres of forest and range the same time a year ago.

The 2007 Idaho fire season really got going around the middle of July, when blazes like the 600,000-acre Murphy Complex Fire and the massive Cascade Complex east of McCall got their start, and the 48,000-acre Castle Rock Fire that threatened Ketchum started in mid-August.

However, officials caution that Idaho will still have a fire season in 2008, as lower rangelands in southern Idaho have already begun to dry out, and drier conditions are expected to extend into the higher elevation forest by next month. (Idaho Mountain Express)

Citing the potential for wildfires, the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee has taken action to close the fireworks season on the reservation for the summer. Tribal officials say the closure is effective immediately based on the “very high” fire danger report issued recently by the National Fire Danger Rating System.

The system provides a value that is determined by a set of computer programs and algorithms that allows land management agencies to estimate current and future fire danger for a given rating area.

Calculations are based on fuels, topography, and weather, which is commonly known as the fire triangle. The output given by the rating system gives relative ratings of the potential growth and behavior for any wildfire in the system. The “very high” rating means fires could start easily, increase quickly in intensity and spread rapidly into heavier fuels. Tribal officials also pointed to the recent wildfire that threatened the tribe’s casino and other businesses east of Lewiston last week as reasons for the firework season closure.

Idaho First District Rep. Bill Sali last week led a national debate on forest fires, saying Congress needs to do more to actually prevent forests and rangeland from going up in flames – as is happening now across the country.

Sali, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, served as the Republican debate “manager,” allocating speaking time to his colleagues as they debated a bill to dedicate funding for wildfire suppression.

Rep. Bill Sali (R-Idaho) comments

The Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act, which is aimed at dedicating funds for suppressing large wildfires, passed on a voice vote. The Forest Service used to provide a source of revenue by managing federal lands and selling the harvested timber. Today, in most areas, active harvesting and forest management is non-existent resulting in less money while there are growing fuel loads on federally managed lands.

Meanwhile, Sali’s bill speeds up projects to reduce hazardous fuels and reduce risks from wildfire, insect damage and disease. The bill would allow a shortened environmental review process as allowed under the National Environmental Policy Act, and would keep in place the environmental safeguards stipulated in the Healthy Forests Restoration Act.

Hundreds of residents of Spokane Valley, where 13 homes were destroyed by a wildfire, have been allowed to return home, although forecasters warned of possible hazardous fire conditions for much of the east side of the state.

The National Weather Service says breezy winds and very low humidity would make for critical fire conditions Monday in the eastern valleys of the Cascades and in much of central Washington. The windy weather was expected to increase Tuesday.

In Spokane Valley, the evacuation level was reduced Sunday, making it safer for about 200 residents to return home as firefighters continued working to contain the fire on just over 1,000 acres - it was 60 percent contained and full containment was expected by Tuesday.

Officials said the fire began Thursday when a small recreational fire rekindled in high winds. The person believed to be responsible has been identified, but the identity was being withheld pending completion of the investigation. (AP)

A planned fire that got out of control may be the cause of last week’s blaze that burned some 3,500 acres of grass and brush north of U.S. Highways 95/12 and the Clearwater River Casino.

Officials say the exact cause of the fire is unknown.

The fire started Thursday afternoon and was fueled by gusty winds. It jumped the northbound lanes of the highway in a stretch of the median near Coyote’s Fishnet and Lower Hog Island, closing the highway for several hours. The casino, an RV park, and some homes were evacuated. An older abandoned home was destroyed and several homes were threatened, but no injuries were reported.