Tim Zimmerman from Wildfire Magazine wrote that this year’s fire season is likely to be more complicated. Climate change discussions highlight worsening fire activities in terms of numbers, area burned, burning intensities, and duration of wildfire activity. Complexity of wildland fire over the last 5 decades has increased.
According to the National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook in June and July the focus is on two primary areas of fire activity. First, Alaska has begun to see significant fire activity. Recent moisture over the state has dried out, triggering an increase in fire activity. Some of these fires are holdover fires from the 2015 fire season. Alaska will continue to see normal levels of significant fire activity into July. Second, the Southwest Area enters its primary fire season in June and July. This area has a robust fine fuel crop; however, lingering moisture has largely kept significant fires at bay. As seasonal drying progresses south of the Mogollon Rim, expect above normal levels of significant fire potential to remain dominant through at least early July, especially in fine fuel regimes.
If their forecast is correct, Alaska, the Northwest, the East, the Central states, and Rocky Mountain areas will avoid unusually high wildfire activity. Over the four-month period above normal wildfire potential should move from Arizona and New Mexico into California, Nevada, and southwest Idaho, and remain high in Hawaii for the entire period.
Whatever the weather patterns bring this summer, our fire-line qualified medics are ready and able to go to a fire at a moment’s notice and provide exceptional medical standby to protect our wildland fire-fighters.