Oregon Prepares For Potentially Wild Wildfire Season

SALEM, Ore. – The state of Oregon says it’s ready for the upcoming wildfire season.

“Wildfires will forever impact our state and our nation. The threats will continue to grow as we grapple with hotter, drier conditions due to climate change,” Governor Kotek said. “Here in Oregon, we are prioritizing readiness, coordination, wildfire risk mitigation, and a comprehensive, statewide approach to protecting our natural working lands and communities. The best way to limit the impacts of wildfires is to be careful and keep them from starting in the first place.”

Doug Graf is the Wildfire Military Advisor to Governor Tina Kotek and says the season is expected to be average for May and June, but above average for July and August.

The season is expected to end by October.

Oregon experiences just over 2,000 fires annually with over 600,000 acres burned on an annual basis.

Graf says the state is using lessons learned from last year to prepare for this season, including technological efficiencies, expanding our monitoring network coverage for better localized forecasting, streamlined smoke coordination calls, and simplified templates for air quality advisories.