Oregon Dept. of Forestry prepares for fire season

Medford, Ore., — “It seems like its gonna be a good outlook, however it could be a double edged sword.” says Oregon Department of Forestry Public Information Officer, Melissa Cano.

While it may be cold, wet and rainy outside right now – the Oregon Department of Forestry is preparing for the opposite.

“We usually start in January, we start the hiring process, but the reason why we’re making an extra push this year is because last year our numbers were actually down.” said Cano.

But getting a head start on the new hires isn’t the only way ODF is preparing.

“If it is wetter, longer, of course it means we’re gonna hit probably an average fire season, because we’ve been above average for so many years now, that’s what we’re hoping for – to start at about average which would mean first week of June.” said Cano

But a large snow pack and heavy rain aren’t necessarily a good thing, especially if it’s followed by a warm spring.

“All the undergrowth will continue to come up which will make for great growth and things to look at, but it’s a lot of flammable material come fire season.” said Cano.

And all the good the rain brings, can be reversed in a matter of days.

“It just creates a warmer fuel that will burn off quickly the second the sun comes out.” said Cano.

And while so much is still uncertain, ODF is doing everything they can to prepare.

If you want to apply for a job at ODF you can find the postings here: http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/AboutODF/Pages/Jobs.aspx

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