1 IFuel for . Fire Poses Seiriiuis Thread
BP;
. Slash from salvage operations in a Slowdown area at
Woodruff Meadows has been hand piled and covered with
water-proof paper. The slash will be burned after the first
good rain this fall, but because these piles are located in a
camping area, they pose an added threat to an already com
plex forest fire fuel situation.
Thirty years ago this summer, a 407 square mile
area in northwestern Oregon was charred by an in
ferno unequalled in recorded history of the northwest.
Ten days after the Hoffman Mountain lookout sta
tion reported a fire on Gales Creek, the 40,000-acrc
Tillamook fire created its own windstorm, and within
the next 20 hours, the blaze roared through more than
220,000 acres of timber.
Trees were uprooted with the fury of the wind cur
rents. An intense suction immediately in front of the
inferno drew large Douglas firs in orderly rows di
. rectly into the flames. Firefighters watched with
horror, and ran for their lives.
Coastal cities were covered with ashes, charred
twigs and needles. The debris fell on the decks of
ships 500 miles at sea.
Dense Fog Off Pacific
Then a dense fog blew in off the Pacific, slowing
and finally halting the advancing flames.
When it was all over, all that remained was 261,
222 acres of land charred and denuded of forest pro
duction. The Tillamook Burn went down on record
as one of the worst forest fires in the nation's recorded
history.
Six years later, another 200,000 acres in the same
area burned; and again in six years-in 1945-fire black
ened 182,000 acres.
Foresters started referring to the "six year jinx."
In 1951, the Tillamook area was spared, but three other
major blazes in the state burned over 55,000 acres of
timber.
No Major Forest Fires
But in 1957, when the "jinx" was firmly established
in the minds of timbermen, the stale had no major
forest fires. Mow, six years later, foresters and Urn-,
Blowdown in parts of the Rogue River National forest-still lies on the ground from the Columbus Day storm, posing
a serious fire hazard during the summer months. This blowdown in the Abbott Butte-Huckleberry Gap area in northern
Jackson county is typical of a blowdown area.
bermen are wondering whether the "jinx" has really
been broken.
They hope it is, for this year the condition in Ore
gon forests, including Jackson county, is described as
potentially the most dangerous in recorded history of
the state.
Added to the normal, amount of fuel in the forests
are trees blown down in the Columbus Day storm and
the slash in areas where some of these trees have been
salvaged. v
Only about half of the blowdown In the Prospect
and Union Creek ranger districts, hardest hit areas of
southern Oregon in the Rogue River National forest,
has been harvested. Most of it has been sold, but time
may be edging toward next winter before some of it
is removed.
Remains Tangled Mess
The unharvested blowdown remains a tangled mess
of drying needles and limbs, accessible only by cutting
through criss-crossed timber from the outer edge of
the blowdown area.
In areas of harvested blowdown, debris created by
salvaging merchantable logs is creating an added prob
lem of excessive slash. The slash includes twisted and
broken trees damaged beyond salvage.
Debris is wlndrowcd in places, tractor-piled in some
areas, and stacked by hand In other locations, depend
ing on conditions. It will be there until after the first
rains in the fall, posing a serious threat later in the
summer.
Added to these conditions are two other factors
which complicate the problem. These are the additional
number of loggers in the woods harvesting merchantable
blowdown, and a good growth of ground cover result
ing from spring rains.
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Form Dangerous Situation
Taken together, these factors form the most poten
tially dangerous situation observed in many generations.
So far this year, fortunately, there has been enough
rain and cool weather to keep the situation from de
veloping more rapidly, although even now the possi
bility of a forest fire is more prevalent than one may
realize.
It will take only a few hot days for the fire danger
to soar to extreme, and those few hot days may come
anytime.
Special precautions are being taken in the event the
forest fire danger soars rapidly, for too well do area
foresters remember early September, 1955, and Au
gust, 1959.
The dates have nothing to do with any "jinx." They
are dates area foresters remember, for it was on those
dates that major fires raged In this area, including
northern California, where more than 35,000 acres
of Klamath National forest burned.
Firei Around Valley
It was on Labor Day, 1955, that fires started along
the northern and western perimeters of the valley
the Sikes Creek lire In northern Jackson county, the
Jackson Creek fire which edged close to the city ot
Jacksonville, the Blackwell Hill fire, and the small, but
troublesome Nugget Butte fire near Gold Hill,
The first three mentioned burned over more than
9,000 acres of brush and timber.
At the same time in northern California, the Hay
slack fire raged out of control for more than a week.
- '; ,; Nor Will many people forget the Ashltmd burn In
- August, 1959, which edged toward the Ashland water
i shed before it wns contained. More than 4,000 acres
were burned in the blaze. . .
There Is probably nothing more dismal than the
. sight of burnt tree stumps standing naked against a
scorched hillside. All signs of plant and animal life
are gone. Nothing is left but ashes swirling around in
the silent aftermath of a forest fire.
This is a scene foresters don't want repealed.
year or any other year.
It is a scene which this year could prevail when
conditions worsen, and they will become worse as the
summer progresses. It is a scene foresters hope every
one will help to prevent.
Features
MEDF0RD
: Sports
Tribune
MEDFORD. OREGON, SUNDAY, JULY 7, 1963 '
.-3 . .. -if o
A wet spring has resulted in a good ground cover of grass, illustrated by this picture
taken at Woodruff Meadows last week. When such grass in higher elevations dries out, it
will create an additional (ire hazard in the forest. Such, grass already, has dried out
in lower elevations in this area, . J
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this . . t 'i
rSik'T K ifflifafa .m"'" u -Lsiiid -v. jP-Sxi This Is the situation which area foresters hope won't be repeated this year, when
gW,Jt. '.?,SJ3S2?-H'- ' -j5i4S!r 25L-r jf "If fJof1v i many sectioiui o( lorcet have an added load of fuel because of the Columbus Day itorm.
g--ik3-" Sity "TdrajOy 'i Th'S lhe column o ,moke rcsultln from the Ashland burn in August, 1959.
Debris left after salvaging merchantable timber blown down in the Columbus Pay
torm is shown in this picture taken along the road to Woodruff Meadows In the Pros
pect ranger district. Thu debris will be tractor piled for burning this fall after the rain
tarts, but will add to the potential danger of forest fires during the summer.
A charred tree stands as mule evidence among smoulder'
ing debris In the Blackwell Hill fire of September, 195S, a
scene area foresters don't want to see repeated.
(Brainerd photo)
Forestry crewa are shown in this picture trying to rehabilitate the Tillamook Burn, scene of one ol the nation'! moat
disastrous forest fires. (UPI;
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