Wildfire

As California enters the height of wildfire season, Cal Fire aircraft are once again painting red lines across dry hillsides with a substance known as PHOS-CHEK. The fire retardant is used to slow or stop advancing flames. But growing questions about its safety for the environment and for people are prompting scrutiny.

Severe lightning storms Monday night sparked 72 wildfires of varying sizes across Jackson and Josephine counties in southern Oregon on Tuesday.

Oregon lawmakers have voted to repeal the state’s contentious wildfire hazard map, which subjected homeowners in certain areas at high risk of wildfires to stricter building codes and requirements to reduce vegetation on their properties.

The Upper Applegate Fire, burning in Jackson County since June 18, remains estimated at 470 acres. Crews have lined most of the perimeter and begun mop-up operations.

Carbon credits are supposed to fight climate change, letting companies offset emissions by funding projects that pull carbon from the air. But a carbon credit startup with deep ties to Northern California is facing a lawsuit that alleges it misled investors.

Many Central Oregon cities started fire restrictions this week as the forecast for much of the state predicts dry, warm weather and little precipitation ahead.

In fire-prone Southern Oregon, residents of the Greensprings joined forces to carry out a 12-acre prescribed burn—lighting controlled fire to reduce wildfire risk and restore forest health. The effort reflects a growing movement to use“good fire” to reshape landscapes and build community resilience.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek warns that gaps in federal support could complicate Oregon’s wildfire response during what’s expected to be a severe summer.

Trump administration funding cuts and a loss of federal workers who help support wildland firefighting continues to make planning for the upcoming wildfire season a challenge, according to forest and fire officials in Washington state and Oregon.

Oregon is expected to have an extremely hot and dry summer, setting the state up for a potentially devastating wildfire season ahead.

A new partnership between the Oregon State Fire Marshal and a wildfire nonprofit could help Oregonians harden their homes and keep insurance.

Oregon forestry officials now have a general idea of how they’ll find a new state forester — more than four months after Cal Mukumoto’s sudden resignation from the job.