Summer moisture of forest fire fuels in Oregon and Washington in 1948 and previous years.

Abstract

The forest fire season of 1948 in Oregon and Washington was regarded by fire suppression agencies as the most favorable for many years. The number of fires started and area burned were, in general, less than for many years. On the national forests the number of fires was the least since 1912 and the acreage burned was the least ever recorded. Was this primarily due to favorable fire weather conditions or to better fire prevention and suppression? Experienced fire fighters recognized at the time that periods of unusually dry weather which usually bring with them numerous accidental fires were not occurring. Some fires did start and it was difficult to judge without measurements how the fire weather compared with that of previous years. The following comparison of forest fuel moisture measurements shows that in a great part of Oregon and Washington the weather was the most favorable since 1941.

Citation

Morris, William G. 1948. Summer moisture of forest fire fuels in Oregon and Washington in 1948 and previous years. PNW Old Series Research Notes No. 47, p. 1-2