Despite recent rains and snow in the mountains, this year’s fire season is shaping up to be a challenging one, especially here in central and eastern Oregon.
Drought conditions that contributed to last summer’s Bootleg Fire, one of the largest in state history, are worse this year.
Governor Kate Brown has already declared drought in 15 Oregon counties, including Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson. It’s the most drought declarations this early in the year during Brown’s two terms as governor.
“This will likely result in a challenging fire season, as fires that start in drought-stricken areas will be very difficult to suppress with so much dry vegetation,” said Dave Shaw, Chief of the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Read more at the Central Oregon Daily
