RAPTOR supports our Emergency Operations Plan by sharing information before, during and after an event. "RAPTOR is a web mapping application that allows users to display data from various resources onto a single map. ![]() RAPTOR enables users access to live data in combination with traditional map layers to create a comprehensive picture anywhere, anytime," according to OEM. "The State of Oregon initiated RAPTOR in 2010 to share information on a common operating picture (COP) as part of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Virtual USA Northwest Pilot Project program. Specific elements of information include weather watches and warnings, local storm reports, live weather radar, road closures/delays, and active incidents," according to the Office of Emergency Management. "This map includes information about what is going on currently within our area. The Real-Time Assessment and Planning Tool for Oregon helps provide an overview of conditions in the state. It can be hard to comprehend the magnitude of the crisis. Wildfires have forced an estimated half million Oregonians to either evacuate or prepare to flee their homes this week as firefighters toil to tame the flames - and wait for scarce reinforcements to arrive. Oregon has more than two dozen collaborative groups, involving hundreds of Oregonians working together to find common ground on forest restoration and other important federal forest management issues across the state.SALEM, Ore. Revenue from harvested timber also helps pay for related efforts such as wildlife habitat enhancement and stream restoration. Forest Service candid feedback on restoration projects and avoid gridlock caused by lawsuits that stop timber harvests.įederal forest restoration projects support jobs with local logging companies and lumber mills. ![]() Group members are developing “zones of agreement” on ways to make federal forests less prone to larger, more destructive wildfires while achieving economic and environmental benefits. In central and eastern Oregon, forest collaborative groups are bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from the conservation community and the timber industry, to find consensus on improving the fire resiliency of public forests. This increases the chances of erosion, and can hinder post-wildfire reforestation efforts and the forest’s natural ability to regenerate. Intense fires can also harm water quality and alter soil characteristics. When dry brush and shrubs aren’t cleared away, they can become “ladder fuels” that make it possible for fire to reach the top of the forest canopy, which can kill entire trees. With so much fuel on the ground and so little space between trees in these unnaturally dense forests, fires are more destructive than the frequent low-intensity wildfires that once naturally thinned out smaller trees and underbrush. These forests will inevitably experience fire, but with potentially much more devastating results. The exclusion of natural wildfire can, over decades, result in dense, overstocked forests with an overabundance of understory that would normally be removed by natural fires. In fact, over the past decade Oregon has spent more than $226 million fighting forest fires on state-protected lands.įire suppression, while beneficial in the short term, can have long-term negative effects. To protect human lives and structures, it’s often necessary to suppress wildfires. This illustrated microsite joins the characters of the forest as they walk you through the basics of fire science, and how to make smart choices with fire in and around a forest. ![]() Being safe with fire is one of the most important ways to reduce the threat of human-caused fire. They’re often costly to extinguish and can negatively affect air and water quality. Whether sparked by lightning or human-caused, wildfires can harm fish and wildlife habitat and damage nearby homes or other structures. Major culprits include backyard burn piles and unattended campfires, according to the nonprofit fire prevention organization Keep Oregon Green. People start a large number of wildfires in Oregon. Climate change may be another reason Oregon’s wildfire seasons are getting longer. This fosters the regrowth of new trees and plants.īut fire suppression practices over the past 100 years have created overly dense forests, fueling bigger and more destructive wildfires. In central and eastern Oregon, periodic low-intensity wildfires burn away smaller trees and brush. ![]() For example, a lodgepole pine needs heat from wildfires for its cones to open and release seeds. Many plants and trees have adapted to wildfires, and some species can’t survive without them. Wildfires are a natural occurrence in Oregon’s forests, especially in the state’s “dry forests,” where periodic burns actually contribute to overall forest health.
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