Another Bad Wildfire Fire Season

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PJorgen

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Recently read that the fuel moisture content, essentially the amount of water in the native plants, is at an all-time low in California.

https://fortune.com/2021/04/13/california-fire-season-moisture-levels-fmc-wildfires-drought-san-jose-state/

If COVID continues to drive people into the great outdoors, this year could be a disaster in terms of wildfires.

I know it's not a popular opinion, but I support a ban on campfires. I've never understood the attraction of standing around a fire for no particular reason.
 
PJorgen said:
I know it's not a popular opinion, but I support a ban on campfires. I've never understood the attraction of standing around a fire for no particular reason.
Click to expand...
Ditto, but it makes me unpopular with other members of the family.

Paul
:LOL:
 
Campfires are a very social thing. Thats why I only have one in a group setting (most of the time).
 
PJorgen said:
Recently read that the fuel moisture content, essentially the amount of water in the native plants, is at an all-time low in California.

https://fortune.com/2021/04/13/california-fire-season-moisture-levels-fmc-wildfires-drought-san-jose-state/

If COVID continues to drive people into the great outdoors, this year could be a disaster in terms of wildfires.

I know it's not a popular opinion, but I support a ban on campfires. I've never understood the attraction of standing around a fire for no particular reason.
Click to expand...
Agree with no campfires.

PaulT said:
Ditto, but it makes me unpopular with other members of the family.

Paul
:LOL:
Click to expand...
Yeah, I too am the no-fun guy regarding campfires.

Seems like anyone that has suffered through the last 10 years in the western US would think twice about a campfire. We have not had one for more than a year. And that one, in June 2019, was up by the Canadian border at Lake Kintla, GNP, where it rained 4 out of every 5 days.

We find it is quite pleasant not to have to deal with smoked out eyes and smelly clothing. And who in their right mind would want to be the cause of some catastrophic fire, which we have had too many of lately?
Drought 13 April 2021.JPG
 
I also support campfire bans...seasonal for some areas and year-round for others. Fire season has changed, and is still changing, here in the West.

Edit: just saw on the news our first brushfire in San Bernardino NF yesterday. ‍♂️
 
I can live W/O a camp fire, but our snow pack here in the high country of NW Great Basin/Modoc Plateau is even worse than you guys in the Sierras. I think somewhere in the 40% range-the Diamond Range to our south is almost bare of snow and it is only April! Me thinks that my faithful potable charcoal grill will be banned everywhere including most campgrounds like it as was last year. They are already posting red flag warnings due to unusually high temps, dry conditions and high winds for this time of the year. Things are going to close down real early this year. That said , I plan to be out of here later this week, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to face all those campers I see driving down 395 and 44 every day-they got to be going somewhere where, hopefully where I'm not!

Smoke
 
PJorgen said:
I know it's not a popular opinion, but I support a ban on campfires. I've never understood the attraction of standing around a fire for no particular reason.
Click to expand...
Seeing stars above is a whole lot better than cave man reading.

46% of normal snowpack here in the central Sierra, 23% of normal southern Sierra. Anyone see any coming problems?
 
I know this thread kinda ended a few days ago. I had to run to the woods. I’m plugged back in now. Below is what the modeling geeks/crystal ballers think. The next update is coming up in a few days:

https://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf

If you’re really curious, the lines on the map that look like counties are a respective states Predictive Service Areas. The specifics for one can usually be found on your Geographic Area Coordination Center, (GACC) site. For example here is some stuff from the Northwest GACC:

https://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/content/products/fwx/MonthlySeasonal.pdf

Like a lot of things Governmentese, there is useful stuff there, but it takes a little or a lot of wading around to find it.

Camp on Wanderers.
 
It is hard to see how increased wildfire danger is not going to become the 'new normal'. Speaking of which, NOAA just updated their 30 year 'normals' from 1980 - 2010 to now be 1990 - 2020. It is pretty easy to see why wildfire in the west is becoming a large problem and will continue to do so.

Looking at the change in temperature from 1980-2010 to 1990-2020:
imrs.php


For much of the west, the long term mean temperature has increased >0.5F in just the last 10 years. Combine that with the shift in long term precipitation averages over the past 10 years:
imrs.php


And it is very easy to see why wildfire is a huge and growing problem.

The new normals are all available on the NOAA website to play around with:
https://www.noaa.gov/news/new-us-climate-normals-are-here-what-do-they-tell-us-about-climate-change
 
When I worked for CDF in the late 70s early 80s we started in June but that was basically a training month. We didn't really expect fires until July and later. You had a five maybe six month fire season (talking NE CA). Now its more like a nine or ten month season.

I know a guy who was a CalFire engineer in Santa Rosa. The fires there scared him enough he left Calfire after the season.

The number of fire starts this already surpass last season. Its going to be a scary year. When I camp I look for evacuation access, safe spots and I'm prepared to abandon my gear if I need to bail quickly.

I won't be surprised if some of the forests are closed by August.
 
Like Craig says: know your emergency egress routes. And pick your campsite very carefully. Being deep in the trees is not the comfort it used to be. Make sure the grasses are not all into your campsite. And really, just forego an open fire or charcoal grill. There are still plenty of very nice dry camp sites out there. And if you plan carefully you may find some real well watered gems even in dry places like Nevada or southern Utah.

We recently spent 4 nights making our way back from my sister's place in Benson AZ. No reservations ahead of time but we found 4 great spots to spend the nite, 2 of which were in under-used campgrounds. One of those campgrounds had lots of open spaces and fantastic views. Our two boondocking sites were on BLM or USFS land -- so good maps will help a lot.

We consider how popular an area is, how much crappy road gets you where you want to be (the longer, the better), the time of day (try to stop mid afternoon at the latest) and the day of the week (mid-week is better).

But, back to the point, we always consider fire potential wherever we go. It is just the new normal, so we tell ourselves to adapt, suck it up, and enjoy what is still available -- which, again, is way more than we will ever see in our lifetimes.
 
It’s interesting Craig and AWG mention situational awareness, escape routes and such. Somewhere on the internet is an old video of a bunch of people caught in a campground/trailhead in Montana as a fire burned past. There is the news video from a few years back of a bunch of visitors cut off by fire and getting flown out at Yosemite. Back in the 90’s a couple three hikers rode out a passing fire in their car at one of the North Rim trailheads originating on the North Kaibab Nat Forest. I’m familiar with a buckaroo camp that got burnt over in the Hells Canyon Wilderness.

Point of all this is getting caught by a fire while out in the wilds can happen and I’ll offer happens more than people think, certainly more than people see or read in the news. Craigs’ and AWG’s advice is worthwhile and timely.

Travel on....
 
Without hesitation I can wait for cooler weather and seasonal fire bans to be lifted. It has been the norm to my friends and neighbors to converse grimly with what this fire season will bring us, Anymore with the combination poor rainfall in our area and having the AQI that was possibly heralded as the worst in the country (columbia gorge) last fire season has us apprehensive for what is to come. To hear first hand from friends of evacuations and loss of property is harsh to say the least. My wife organized a meal train and donations for a colleague whose family lost everything but the clothes on thier backs last season(no lives lost). I can wait for the burn ban to be lifted.every fall before having a fire. We love to hang around a fire .....its better than TV to me,,,,, to look up and see stars is beautiful as well. Last year the forests south of us were closed early because of fires just left unattended and not out. Hopefully the masses heading out to enjoy our forests will become good stewards for the generations to come hoopy
 
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