Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW OHSU opens rural 'hub' campus in Klamath Falls ... Portland dispensary fined $2,500 for handing out products in parking lot ... Surveillance video captures Medford surgery center thief ... OHSU opens rural 'hub' campus in Klamath Falls ... Portland dispensary fined $2,500 for handing out products in parking lot ... Surveillance video captures Medford surgery center thief ... CONTINUING COVERAGE: WILDFIRE Stouts fire handed back to locals as mop-up work winds down Fire ecologist says large scale fires show environmental trends Comment By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 8, 2015 at 4:29 PM By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 8, 2015 at 4:29 PM » Social News Officials say one of Southern Oregon's largest wildfires of the season is finally winding down as command of firefighting resources is handed back to local authorities. As of Tuesday, fire officials say the Stouts fire, burning about 16 miles east of Canyonville in Douglas County, is 98 percent contained after burning more than 26,000 acres of state and federal lands. According to a news release, firefighters from the Douglas Forest Protective Association and the U.S. Forest Service are currently finishing rehabilitation work and mop-up operations after the fire, which had been under the command of a Type 3 incident-management team from Florida, was turned over to DFPA and Forest Service management on Saturday. Authorities say the Stouts fire, which began around 1 p.m. July 30, was caused by a man using a lawnmower in violation of fire season equipment restrictions. Over the course of little more than a month, the fire continued to grow steadily, drawing nearly 2,000 firefighters at its peak. The fire's rapid growth and heavy draw on resources, coinciding with the outbreak of a number of large fires across the western United States, was one of several factors that contributed to federal authorities' decision to raise the national fire preparedness level to a 5, indicating the risk of exhausting available firefighting resources. Heavy smoke from the fire flooded the Rogue Valley for more than a month, with state Department of Environmental Quality air monitors in the region rarely reading better than "moderate." Gabe Dumm, a fire ecologist for Umpqua National Forest, says that exclusion of naturally caused fires from areas now subject to an increasingly warm, dry climate is causing a buildup of fuels primed for igniting large-scale fires. "We're seeing longer and longer patches of high-severity fires than we've seen historically," he says. About 54 percent of the acreage burned is managed by the Forest Service as part of the Umpqua National Forest. The remaining 46 percent is a mix of Bureau of Land Management holdings and state lands, both of which are protected by the Douglas Forest Protective Association. Dumm says a portion of the 15,000-acre National Creek complex is also burning on Umpqua National Forest lands. That fire, which started Aug. 1, was 70 percent contained as of Monday. Even in the face of unfavorable climate trends, Dumm says management tools like prescribed burning and the removal of ladder fuels from fire-prone areas still can be used to encourage the natural trend of more frequent smaller fires. "What I like to say is it increases our need and urgency to go out and do some work to restore (the historical conditions)," he says. To date, the Stouts fire has cost taxpayers $38.5 million, up to 75 percent of which is expected to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. State officials have said they may also seek to recover fire-suppression costs from the unnamed resident believed to have caused the fire. Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty at 541-776-4471, or by email at [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 8, 2015 at 4:29 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. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.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 Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site 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. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501