Biggest fire year since 1994

Cooler temperatures and precipitation have helped bring a close to the biggest fire season in Washington since 1994. This article in yesterday's Seattle Times looks at some of the issues involved in Washington's big fire year, from climate change to beetle infestations.

It will take some time to determine what the fires' effects on ecosystems and trails will be. Certainly, fire is crucial to the forests of the Cascades--the question is, were the fires generally destructive crown fires that kill off most vegetation? Or were some of the fires performing their essential ecological functions--clearing out underbrush, thinning overgrown stands of lodgepole pine, and the like. One would find it hard to argue that the acres burned by the Tin Pan fire, which was allowed to burn naturally in the Entiat region of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, were a "disaster" or a "loss."

Still, there are concerns: it will be a busy year for trail maintenance in the Pasayten wilderness and the Methow. According to Laurie Dowie, wilderness technician for the Methow Valley Ranger District, over 150 miles of wilderness and non-wilderness trails were affected by the Tatoosh and Tripod fires.