These shifts affect water supply and flood risks throughout Oregon. The more exposed conditions in burned forests reduce the snowpack in burned areas and create earlier snowmelt conditions. 6 In areas already experiencing earlier snowmelt due to climate change, wildfire conditions further shift the melting period. Snowpack is essential for storing water in the Western United States, building up water stores in the winter, and releasing water during snowmelt in the spring and summer months. This leads to a decreased snowpack in areas that experienced a severe fire. With the rising frequency and size of fires in the state, Oregon forests are being cleared out extensively and tree cover is reduced. Projections showed that it could increase by 8-32 days over 30 years. A study by Portland State University (PSU) students ran climate change projection simulations to see what effect different scenarios would have on Oregon’s fire season. Fires spread more easily and can explode out of control quickly with an abundance of available fuel.Ĭlimate change is also contributing to Oregon’s increasing wildfire season. This means that Oregon’s fire season is growing in intensity. Trees have grown much closer together than they did historically. 5īecause of the past 100 years of wildfire suppression and an emphasis on preventing all forest fires, there is excessive fuel in Oregon forests now. The intensity of these fires would vary based on location, with smaller, more frequent fires consuming forest debris in Central, Southern, and Northeastern Oregon, and larger fires burning less often along the coast. Historically, Oregon had frequent fires from late spring until the wetter fall weather. 2 How is Oregon Wildfire Season Changing? This can lead to floods during the rainy season and affect residents’ access to clean water. Fires also can destroy watersheds that channel Oregon’s rainfall into creeks, rivers, reservoirs, and the ocean. 4īeyond the risk to human life and property, wildfires destroy animal habitats, timberland, and the scenic vistas that beautify Oregon. This will result in larger, more frequent fires. This change is expected to extend Oregon’s fire seasons and contribute to more severe fire weather in the Western Cascade mountains. 3Ĭlimate change is also affecting Oregon’s temperature and relative humidity. 2 Wildfires can start in the middle of winter, and there is often a small increase in new fires when Oregon’s deer hunting season begins in October, but the dry conditions in summer make wildfires particularly dangerous. The early and late parts of fire season often see human-caused fires. Risk Factors for Oregon Wildfiresĭuring the peak fire period in July through early September, wildfires in Oregon typically start by natural causes, usually lightning. 1 Droughts, snowpacks, and local weather conditions affect how long Oregon’s fire season lasts, especially in Southwest and Eastern Oregon. Wildfire season in Oregon typically starts in mid-May and ends with the first rains, usually in late September. Good land management practices, such as prescribed burning, can help to preserve Oregon’s scenic beauty and prevent highly destructive wildfires. Learn when is it, how long it lasts, risk factors and more. Explore details regarding the Oregon fire season from the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA).
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