Wildfire Preparation, Adaptation, Focus of Free ‘Living with Wildfire’ Seminar in Whitefish
Topics covered include the creation of defensible space, the home ignition zone, implementing fire resistant landscaping, developing a wildfire preparedness plan and home insurance questions related to wildfire risks.
By Mike Kordenbrock
Flathead Valley residents will have the opportunity to attend a free seminar this Wednesday at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish centered around preparation and adaptation to the risks of wildfire.
Called “Living with Wildfire,” the June 12 event is hosted by Flathead Families for Responsible Growth and Fire Safe Flathead. It is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Specialists and experts from the U.S. Forest Service and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will be among those presenting. Additional presentations will come from insurance brokers, local emergency services, and representatives of Flathead Families for Responsible Growth.
Topics covered include the creation of defensible space, the home ignition zone, implementing fire-resistant landscaping, developing a wildfire preparedness plan and home insurance questions related to wildfire risks.
The U.S. Drought Monitor designates Flathead County as increasingly dry from west to east, with eastern portions of the county considered to be experiencing extreme drought as of June 6.
In a June 1 significant Wildland Fire potential outlook report, the National Interagency Fire Center anticipates that portions of western Montana will exhibit an above-normal potential for significant wildland fire by August. The June 1 report states that the northwestern corner of Montana has had above normal precipitation over the last 30 days, but is near-to-slightly below normal for the year so far. Additionally, the report notes that extreme drought is present in the alpine terrain in Glacier National Park and in a small area along the Idaho and Montana border
Last year, wildfires in Montana burned 123,133 acres, or about 192 square miles of land. The Northern Rockies Coordination Center, which coordinates resources for wildland firefighting in a region encompassing Montana, North Dakota, Yellowstone National Park, and portions of northern Idaho and South Dakota, designated 27 wildfires in Montana last year as large incidents exceeding 100 acres in size. Among those 27 large incidents, 69 structures were destroyed and estimated firefighting costs exceeded $146 million.