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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Prisoners in their own home How do you feel about new cell towers? Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Education Prisoners in their own home Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Ashland Kiwanis recognizes Samara Diab Hands-On work with robots at ScienceWorks Environment Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Legislature might be divided on clean fuels bill, but these Ashlanders weren't Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up Business Breaking ground on organic vineyard practices Southern Oregon University: Recent and pending projects at SOU total about $132 million Test Drive: 2015 Subaru Outback Limited Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Ride & Drive: 2015 Hyundai Genesis Politics and elections Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out today State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Death Notices Shiela R. Ettlich Karen June Shaw Death Notices Death Notices Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society Sports Latest Stories Wade scores 32, Heat rally to beat Blazers AHS grad Bailey claims national wrestling title Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game High school Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Grizz alpine skiers finish strong at state Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential Southern Oregon University AHS grad Bailey claims national wrestling title Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game Beavers get No. 3 seed, host NCAA games Young shoots Ducks into Pac-12 title game Raider softball team opens league play with split at Northwest Voices Latest Stories Landgren cartoon: Boston gets a ‘Frozen’ sequel Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Landgren cartoon: Sunshine Week Editorial Our View: SOU's economic clout Our view: Keep it simple in developing marijuana rules Our View: Ashland is at risk as a bad fire season looms Our View: Ashland backs residents over visitors in lodging decision Our View: No need for blame in Hannah Thomas-Garner case Letters Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Letters to the Editor, March 14 Letters to the Editor, March 12 Letters to the Editor, March 11 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Council Corner: City considers the sharing economy Herb Rothschild Jr.: Demonizing Putin makes case for war Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Jeffrey Gillespie: The opaqueness of Hillary Clinton Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Herzog scholarship for young writers Movie listings: March 13-18 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' Community blog: Take a peek at poet Scott Wozniak Theater Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Theater review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' in Ashland Ticket availability Ticket Availability Music The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Another career highlight for Kelly Clarkson Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies 8 must-see spring films Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp Movie review: ‘Cinderella’ is an instant classic Shailene Woodley returns as Tris in ‘Insurgent’ Movie listings: March 13-18 Food and Drink Sammich does it Chicago-style Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Page H. Onorato: How food names came into being Tammy Kelly: Healthy leftover ham Lost in Suburbia: Top 10 reasons I like my dog better than my kids Dear Monty: Tips for checking out an existing septic system Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund ... Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday ... Our View: SOU's economic clout ... Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund ... Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday ... Our View: SOU's economic clout ... ENVIRONMENT With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Comment By Mark Freeman For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mark Freeman For the Tidings Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 8:19 PM By Mark Freeman For the Tidings Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 8:19 PM » Social News Record low snowpack amid a second straight drought year has wildland managers bracing for what they consider an upcoming wildfire season in which catastrophic fire in the Cascades or Siskiyous "seems inevitable." State and federal wildfire experts said Thursday in Medford that they expect mid- and high-elevation forestlands to be prime for generating a 2015 fire season that will start earlier, last longer and likely burn hotter than normal in this area known for summer fires. With minimal or no snow around places such as Howard Prairie and Mt. Ashland, the sun's rays that normally would melt snow and wet the forest instead will be cooking it tinder dry this spring, making slopes more able to carry flames and more susceptible to fire starts caused by lightning downstrikes. "It seems inevitable," said Allen Mitchell, fire management officer for the Medford District of the federal Bureau of Land Management. "It will depend on lightning." Forest Service and BLM teams are training firefighters earlier than most years while trying to amass resources that will help combat fires expected to break out if the region sees a repeat of last year's 130,000 lightning strikes, Mitchell said. The primed fuels ranging from downed and dead trees to brush killed during the intense freezes in the 2014 winter will mean fire crews will require larger safety zones around fires and potentially alter attack plans, Mitchell said. "We have to rethink our risk management," Mitchell said. "We're re-inventing stuff as we go." Mitchell's assessments came during a Thursday wildfire conditions briefing for U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who also announced the securing of more than $2 million in U.S. Forest Service grants to curb wildfire risks and improve drinking water in the Ashland watershed. This latest installment in the decade-old Ashland Forest Resiliency Project will allow contract crews to clear the forest floor of hot-burning brush and woody debris in thinning and burning projects designed by the Forest Service and implemented by private contactors. The grant includes $1.2 million worth of work on Forest Service lands plus $1 million on private lands within the 7,600-acre project area within the Ashland watershed, considered at very high risk for catastrophic wildfire that could threaten the city. The grant follows $6.2 million in federal stimulus money that ended in 2013 with about $4 million worth of work left. Since then, the city of Ashland has spent about $175,000 per year to treat federal lands within the watershed. Most of the work has been done by the Lomakatsi Restoration Project, which will hire about 150 seasonal workers, 17 full-time employees and about 10 outside contractors for work under the new grant. "This project is a model for collaboration," Wyden said during his Thursday briefing. The grants were announced jointly by Wyden and his fellow Senate Democrat Jeff Merkley, and the pair have pledged to find future grants to finish the project. Thursday's upbeat discussion of the Ashland project was tampered by what federal wildfire officials were calling the worse pre-season wildfire conditions in at least 25 years. Meteorologist Ryan Sandler from the National Weather Service said Medford's temperatures have been 4 degrees warmer than normal this past fall and winter, during which normal rainfall levels were recorded but the snowpack at Crater Lake is at just 3 feet — less than a third of its typical early March level. "It's unprecedented," Sandler said. "We've never had a (winter) with near-normal rainfall and low snowpack." The dearth of mid-elevation snow will mean the sun will cook hillsides into tinderboxes waiting for a lighting strike. "Instead of melting snow, they'll warm up and dry everything," Sandler said. "They'll be more susceptible to lightning and carrying fire. "You're probably going to have a lot of starts and a lot of fires," Sandler said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman .     By Mark Freeman For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mark Freeman For the Tidings Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 8:19 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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