My beloved Oregon is in drought

My beloved Oregon is in drought. 71% of Oregon is in severe drought, 26% extreme drought, and 4% “exceptional” drought (the dark patch in the middle).

Basically, the spring rains never came. Oregon, despite our reputation actually gets very little rain in the summer. Prescribed burning over the last 6 months, and the scars of last year’s mega-fires, firewise citizenry, and mother nature are the only things protecting us at the moment. It’s gonna be a fun one. If you’re in the US, you can check your state’s drought here: https://www.drought.gov/states/oregon

Wildfire prevention is key

Preventing damage from wildfire is much cheaper than building after one destroys property.

• If you have a rural property, aggressively deploy “firewise” principles throughout your property. If you’re within a mile of wildlands, even a sub division, deploy these principles as well. Your county or state likely has resources to help.
• Ramp up prescribed burning to reduce fuel loads in the wildlands. This may also involve telling your state representative you want this done. The big hindrance to prescribed burning is following emissions and carbon output regulations, which is ludicrous because so much more pollution is emitted from wildfires. Wildfires often kill trees which ends their ability to impound carbon.
• Impound water in the land using permaculture techniques like swales, check out this great article on permaculture and fire risk reduction.
• Aggressively put out campfires – this requires digging, turning, dousing, and REPEATING (super important) with water until the whole area is cold to the touch.
• Smoke is likely on the way, stock up on MERV 13 air filters and N-95 masks.
• Even with all this preparation in place, be prepared to evacuate. Be prepared to host family who may be evacuating.

What’s your take on wildfires and wildfire preparations? Please leave a comment below.

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