Friday, June 25, 2021
CapitalPress.com 5
Wildfire outbreaks Oregon drier than last year as fire season begins
forum discusses
across much of West OSU
wildfire, drought
keep crews busy
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
NIFC said the number
of fires from Jan. 1 to June
21 totaled 28,926, up 28.9%
Wildfire season is picking from a year ago. The center
up across much of the West, tracks new or active wildfires
as fire crews employ early that are at least 100 acres in
attacks to keep blazes from timber or 300 on rangeland, or
growing, officials say.
have an incident management
“We are in high
team assigned.
fire danger,” said
Burned acres are
Sarah Wheeler, fire
pegged at slightly
information
offi-
more than 1 million,
cer at the Eastern
up 8.7% from last
Idaho Interagency
year.
Fire Center in Idaho
The 10-year aver-
age for the period is
Falls.
Carrie
Lowland fire-fuel
24,933 fires burning a
Bilbao
samples show low
total 1.6 million acres.
moisture, and fuels
“Our initial attack
on higher-elevation forest- resources are doing a good
land are drying early as high job,” a factor in keeping a fire
temperatures and drought smaller, Bilbao said.
persist, she said.
But firefighters and
Actions that pose risk but equipment are expected to
don’t always start wildfires, be at a premium during peak
from field burning to camp- fire season.
fires, are likelier to start fires,
Federal fire officials
Wheeler said.
declared National Fire Pre-
“We’ve been preaching paredness Level 4, on a scale
that things look and feel dif- of 1 to 5, June 22. They had
ferent this year,” she said. declared Level 3 earlier than
“Just be very aware.”
usual in 2020 and this year.
To the west, U.S. Bureau
Bilbao said Level 3
of Land Management Boise means wildfires are active
District Fire Information in about a quarter of the
Officer Jared Jablonski U.S. That level prompts the
expects the fire risk to rise NIFC-tied National Inter-
agency Coordination Cen-
soon.
“Eastern Idaho is a lit- ter to apply a national per-
tle ahead and dried out a lit- spective in setting priorities
tle earlier,” he said. “I don’t and allocating personnel and
think we are that far off from equipment. Level 4 signals
increased wildland fire activ- competition for personnel
ity. Southwest Idaho is really and resources intensifying.
starting to dry out.”
The InciWeb website
Jablonski said a dry win- tracks wildfires and pre-
ter and spring limited growth scribed fires to date, though
of new vegetation but left it often does not report an
more of the 2020 crop viable. acreage for a prescribed
“So there’s still plenty of burn. June 22 totals were 24
fuel to burn,” he said, from fires and 339,291 reported
grasses and other fine fuels to acres combined in Arizona,
juniper. Wildfire risk also is 12 fires and 8,388 acres
up on increases in population in California, 12 fires and
and public-land use.
10,071 acres in Colorado,
Western heat waves and 4 fires and 1 acre reported
extended drought make more in Idaho, 4 fires and 39,818
fuel ignition-ready, National acres in Montana, 4 fires
Interagency Fire Center Pub- and 1,894 acres in Nevada,
lic Affairs Specialist Carrie 9 fires and 111,723 acres in
Bilbao said.
New Mexico, six fires and
“With it being so extreme 16,546 acres in Oregon, 4
in many areas of the West, fires and 43,814 acres in
and expected lightning com- Utah, none in Washington
ing in, we expect the potential and 1 fire of 1,038 acres in
for fires to increase,” she said. Wyoming.
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
Mormon church high
bidder for Easterday ranch
CORVALLIS, Ore. —
Historically dry conditions
are raising concerns that
another long wildfire season
may be ahead in Oregon.
Experts at Oregon State
University held a virtual
forum Monday to discuss
this year’s drought and fire
conditions.
Meanwhile,
several large blazes are
already burning thousands
of acres and temperatures
are expected to reach into
the triple-digits statewide.
“Right now, we are drier
at this point than we were
at this point last year,” said
Larry O’Neill, state clima-
tologist with the Oregon
Climate Service. “I think
we’re in the thick of it right
now, at least in terms of
the drought conditions and
how it projects onto wild-
fire risk.”
As of Monday, The
S-503 Fire was the largest,
burning 6,201 acres near
the Warm Springs Reserva-
tion in Central Oregon. The
fire started June 18, and was
10% contained. A cause has
not been determined.
In Southern Oregon, the
Cutoff Fire started June 19
and has burned 1,150 acres
on state forestland about 6
miles north of Bonanza.
It is 12% contained, and
the cause remains under
investigation.
Earlier this month, a
pair of lightning-sparked
fires in northeast Oregon
— the Joseph Canyon and
Dry Creek fires — torched
9,195 acres of timber and
rangeland. Those two fires
were mostly contained on
June 11.
Meg Krawchuk, an asso-
ciate professor at the Col-
lege of Forestry, said con-
ditions on the ground are
more characteristic of what
firefighters might expect in
July, rather than June.
“When we have early
and longstanding drought,
we’re more likely to have
fires burning,” Krawchuk
said.
According to the U.S.
Drought Monitor, all of
Oregon is listed in some
stage of drought, including
77% in “severe” drought,
36% in “extreme” drought
and a little under 5% in the
worst category of “excep-
tional” drought.
The driest conditions
are spread over Central
and Eastern Oregon, said
O’Neill, the state climatol-
ogist. Klamath, Deschutes,
Crook, Jefferson and Wasco
counties all experienced
their driest or second-driest
spring on record, he said.
In addition, the USDA
reports that 80% of the
state’s cropland and live-
stock pastures are rated
as either “short” or “very
short” of soil moisture.
“That’s also very con-
cerning right now for a
lot of the agricultural and
livestock producers here,”
O’Neill said. “Things are
looking a little bit bleak.”
Oregon is coming off a
record fire season in 2020
during which more than 1
million acres burned, par-
ticularly in Western Ore-
gon, where a series of
post-Labor Day conflagra-
tions fanned by strong east-
erly winds consumed entire
towns.
Lisa Ellsworth, an assis-
tant professor who studies
fire behavior and rangeland
ecology at the College of
Agricultural Sciences, said
Oregon is not at the point
yet where fire season lasts
year-round, as in California.
But the trend toward higher
temperatures and more
severe drought across the
West is having an impact.
“Twenty years ago,
when I fought wildland fire,
our seasons looked nothing
like this,” she said. Hotter
and drier weather does not
always necessarily mean
more fires. There must be a
spark, in combination with
the right conditions, for
wildfire to spread.
Ellsworth said more than
80% of fires in the West are
caused by humans, under-
scoring the need for people
to be careful working and
recreating outdoors.
“While we can’t do a
whole lot about the drought
conditions we are fac-
ing right now, we can do a
whole lot about the ignition
sources ... managing people
and managing that potential
for wildfire as people are
out there recreating,” she
said.
$220 million Oregon wildfire bill
progresses despite ‘defensible space’ fears
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
SALEM — A far-reaching bill
aimed at reducing Oregon’s wildfire
risks has passed a key budget-set-
ting committee despite fears it could
impose excessive restrictions on rural
areas.
The Joint Ways and Means Com-
mittee voted 14-9 to approve Senate
Bill 762 with a do-pass recommenda-
tion on June 22, clearing the $220 mil-
lion proposal for a vote on the Senate
floor with just days to go in the 2021
legislative session.
The legislation has several compo-
nents, such as developing a wildfire
risk map, updating building codes and
improving forest resiliency, but pro-
visions related to establishing stan-
dards for “defensible space” next to
houses have proven among the most
controversial.
Critics say that SB 762 has an overly
broad definition of “wildland-urban
interface” that could subject a vast
amount of the rural landscape to expen-
sive and unsightly vegetation removal
requirements.
The entire reason people move out
to the woods is to be surrounded by
trees and other vegetation, said Sen.
Fred Girod, R-Stayton. “How many of
you want to have nothing around your
house for 35 feet or more?”
The new requirements could add
another $50,000 to $100,000 to the
cost of a home when people are already
struggling to obtain permits to rebuild
after last year’s wildfires, he said.
“Every obstacle known to God and
man is put before these people so they
can’t rebuild.”
Opponents claim that SB 762 hasn’t
received enough vetting in light of its
sweeping nature, particularly since a
recent amendment was passed without
testimony from the public.
“We are changing land use, we are
Kari Greer/USFS
A bill authorizing $220 million in spending to reduce Oregon wildfire
risks has made progress despite fears about excessive “defensible space”
requirements around homes.
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2017 BMW X3 4DR
VIN = 5UXWZ7C37H0V91372
Amount due on lien $1535.00
Reputed owner(s)
FINANCIAL SERVICES VEH TRUST
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2014 SUBARU IMPREZA 4W
VIN = JF1GR7E62EG248748
Amount due on lien $2435.00
Reputed owner(s)
CAMERON OAKES MOSSMAN
OREGON COMMUNITY C.U.
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2013 KIA SPORTAGE UT
VIN = KNDPB3A29D7528675
Amount due on lien $2435.00
Reputed owner(s)
ALONDRA GARCIA CABALLERO
WELLS FARGO AUTO
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2010 TOYOTA RAV 4 UT
VIN = 2T3ZF4DV1AW027093
Amount due on lien $2435.00
Reputed owner(s)
KARI JEAN REGAS
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2019 HYUNDAI IONIQ SW
VIN = KMHC65LC6KU179733
Amount due on lien $1435.00
Reputed owner(s)
FLEXDRIVE SERVICES LLC
HYUNDAI MOTOR FINANCE
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/02/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2011 INFINITY EX35 SW
VIN = JN1AJ0HR8BM851188
Amount due on lien $1255.00
Reputed owner(s)
HEATHER S FISHER
OREGON COMMUNITY C.U
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/02/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2015 AUDI A 4 4DR
VIN = WAUHFAFL6FN007021
Amount due on lien $1255.00
Reputed owner(s)
NANCY WESSINGER KLINE
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2019 WILD 31FT CT
VIN = 4X4TWCC25KT018208
Amount due on lien $1455.00
Reputed owner(s)
BRANDI M & JARIT D PITOCHELLI
ALASKA USA FEDERAL C.U.
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2016 KEYS COLEMAN TRL
VIN = 4YDT23528GY933298
Amount due on lien $1535.00
Reputed owner(s)
ROWANNE & SAM J HALEY
OREGON STATE CREDIT UNION
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2013 NISSAN NV200 4DR
VIN = 3N6CM0KN7DK696300
Amount due on lien $1535.00
Reputed owner(s)
OLGALIDIA REYES RESENDIS
SELCO COMMUNITY C.U.
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2019 NISSAN ALTIMA 4DR
VIN = 1N4BL4BV6KC214594
Amount due on lien $1535.00
Reputed owner(s)
ASA MOHAMED MAHAMUD
CARMAX BUSINESS SERVICES LLC
S249846-1
S249833-1
S249845-1
during agency rule-making.
Areas within the wildland-urban
interface will be categorized accord-
ing to risk classifications and won’t
face blanket restrictions, said Rep.
Tina Kotek, D-Portland.
“You have to be in the wildland-ur-
ban interface and in a certain risk level
for certain things to apply,” she said.
“Let’s not forget that.”
Homeowners whose property was
destroyed in last year’s wildfires
won’t be subject to the restrictions and
have an “expedited path to rebuild-
ing” under other legislation, she said.
Rep. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, said
that only the “extreme” and “high
risk” classes within the wildland-ur-
ban interface would face regulation
under SB 762.
It would be “vanishingly rare”
for homes in agricultural areas to
come under such restrictions, he said.
Homes subject to regulation won’t
face “cookie-cutter” restrictions but
would undergo property-specific
consultation.
S249831-1
S249844-1
impacting building, we are changing
codes. We are all over the place with
this bill and you’ve had about 20 peo-
ple who’ve testified on this bill in one
hearing in the Senate,” said Rep. Chris-
tine Drazan, R-Canby.
While most objections to SB 762
came from Republicans during recent
hearings, some Democrats also regis-
tered misgivings about the bill.
Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose,
said she was concerned about the pau-
city of public testimony and the expan-
sive “wildland-urban interface” defi-
nition, though she ultimately voted to
approve the bill for a vote on the Sen-
ate floor.
Johnson noted that her family owns
a home in the woods of Central Oregon.
“I’ll be damned before I cut down
any of the trees around that house,”
she said.
The bill’s defenders said the alarm
about severe “defensible space”
requirements and the “wildland-urban
interface” definition were misguided
because the specifics would be refined
S249830-1
S249829-1
S248178-1
S249835-1
S248177-1
S249842-1
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/05/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER UT
VIN = 5TDDZRFH1HS369306
Amount due on lien $1535.00
Reputed owner(s)
DIRECT MOTORZ LLC
S249840-1
Farmland Reserve Inc., the
real estate company of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-
ter-day Saints, submitted the
high bid of $209 million for
the Easterday ranch proper-
ties in Eastern Washington,
topping a company linked to
Bill Gates.
The winning bid, which
must be approved by a judge,
was reported Monday to the
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for
Eastern Washington.
Gates’ company, Dela-
ware-based 100C LLC, bid
$208 million, according to
court records.
Farmland Reserve plans
to acquire Easterday proper-
ties in Benton County, Wash.,
commonly known as Goose
Gap Farm, River Farm, Cox
Farm and Farm Manager
House.
C o d y
Easterday
and his wife
and mother
declared
bankruptcy
in February
Cody
as he faced
Easterday
charges of
defraud-
ing Tyson Foods and another
company of $244 million by
billing the companies for non-
existent cattle.
Easterday, 49, pleaded
guilty March 31 to one count
of wire fraud. He faces up
to 20 years in prison. He is
scheduled to be sentenced
Aug. 4 in the U.S. District
Court for Eastern Washington.
Easterday’s grandfather
founded the ranch and farm
in 1959.
The auction was con-
ducted June 17 via video con-
ference and was limited to
five qualified bidders.
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
