The majority...the majority....there was a HUGE forest fire across the highway from me that burned up the whole mountain and caused mass evacuations 10 years ago and made the national news....started by an idiot who was doing what they weren’t supposed to do (campfire). Chain of events caused flooding and eventually a little girl to drown. THAT one was caused by the “minority”. Just simply not something I will be a part of if I can help it. Last year there was another one that was never conclusive but there were a lot of rumors it was a heavy equipment operation in the forest that started it or a loggers chainsaw—regardless, I don’t want to become known as “that guy”.
Yes I take Forest fire prevention seriously. The company I work for does dozer work on the fires. Oregon gets wildland fires every summer, and they are very devastating to the forests. The people who died in the Storm king MTN fire in Colorado in the early 90's were mostly from Central Oregon.
Our main fire season here is February through April, with a lesser one September through November that is more weather dependent. Can have some fires in the summer, but it has to get pretty dry here for that. Fire is what I do. Even so, I have always found it very interesting how the fire seasons differ across the country in the different fuel types. Typically here, you couldn't get something to burn in June and July if you had to. Wonder if Arizona is typicaly this dry now?
Nice haul; I wish I had got the little battery chainsaw that was on Lowe's during the holiday season. I looked lately and it is no longer available.
Yes, this time of year is almost always bad in Arizona. Typically May and June are our driest months, the low humidity combined with the seasonal winds make the forests a tinderbox. Relief usually comes the first week of July when the monsoons, seasonal thunderstorms, begin to develop. Waiting through June when you live in the forest can make even the most hardened a bit nervous.
JPDavis , didn't realize you live in Prescott. We were in Falstaff for our honeymoon, drove out to Jerome and that area. Hopefully you know of the Firewise program. When we were driving around out there (mid November, 2010), I found myself automatically doing hazard assessments. My wife got tired of it pretty quick haha. There were a LOT of places where I was like 'Mmpphh, that's gonna be bad when it happens. We drove from Flagstaff to Sedona, I believe it was Oak Creek canyon or something like that, it really caught my eye and I told my wife I would not want to be in there when one broke out. I believe I heard that they ended up having one in there a few years ago.
Speaking of which, there actually was one in Oak Creek Canyon a few years ago. As you figured out it was tough to fight. They just had to let parts of it burn while trying to build containment lines around it. Ten years ago was the Shultz Pass Fire. The whole mountain burned. Attached is a photo of the scars. The whole mountain used to be tree covered. It’s starting to grow back but still has a long way to go.
Hope they had enough time and warning to get everyone out...remember thinking egress would be a beeotch. And fuels all up against structures with little defendable space... It's also amazing how so many of the fires out there are stand replacement fires. Thankfully we get very few of those round here, especially in mature timber.
I know a little about the firewise program. I used to work for the oldest established tree service in Prescott. Oak Creek Canyon is beautiful and it's funny you mention it because that's where I started my first jobs, working in the Pine Flats area. The Ponderosa Pines in that area are probably the tallest I've seen in the state due to the competition for limited light in the canyon. And yes, the potential for a massive crown fire in that area is very real. I'm glad you were able to see Arizona's north land, so many people think that the state is one big desert for some reason.
We may need to split the fine hair here for Timberdog's sake. The exact verbiage about a chainsaw is as follows: Operating a chainsaw, or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine, is prohibited from times designated in the specific closure order. And since RonT asked - the biggest "fines" are that your entire logging operation can be shut down and you can loose subsequent permits in the National Forrest. Logging is under the Industrial Fire Precautions Level system, and in Level 2, the woods is shutdown at 1:00 PM. Link to the Deschutes National Forest Page on IFPL This shutdown is also why loggers are often at work at 5 or 5:30 AM this time of year, known as partial hoot owl - so they can still get a full day in. And we will never forget the Prineville Hotshots who died on Storm King Mountain.
The issue is any equipment powered by an internal combustion engine. Electric, handsaws, and axes are ok.
