Drought-parched timber and brush lands, the result of record-breaking temperatures and dry and windy weather in south-central Oregon, have been the fuel source for a swiftly spreading wildfire that on Wednesday was in its ninth day. Only 5% around the perimeter is contained. The so-called Bootleg fire has burnt through more than 212,000 acres and has destroyed 21 homes and 54 other structures.
News in timber
Wildfire Burning in the Fremont-Winema National Forest — Currently Largest in the U.S.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), more than 14,000 firefighters and support personnel are attacking fires covering close to a million acres of land. The NIFC is reporting that the largest fire in the United States was incinerating huge swaths of the Fremont-Winema National Forest in southern Oregon.
Idaho Wildfires Consuming Thousands of Acres of Grass and Forestlands
High temperatures, low humidity levels, and heat lightning have sparked wildfires all across Idaho and they are continuing to grow in size. The fires are burning in both grasslands and forested areas. Idaho News Channel 6 is reporting that there are currently 5-major fires burning in the state. Containment of most these fires is not expected until later in the year.
Wildfires Rage in Russia, Spain, the U.S. and Canada
While we read and hear about forest fires in the U.S. and Canada, the same unusually hot weather is taking its toll around the globe. In Russia, forest fires have broken out in the Chelyabinsk region close to the border with Kazakhstan, as well as in north-eastern Siberia. The Ministry of Emergency Situations said it has deployed aircraft and a helicopter to fight the fires, as well as 240 personnel to Chelyabinsk where two large villages have been evacuated.
Weyerhaeuser Company Completes Sale of 145,000 Acres of Timberlands in Washington State to Hampton Resources
Weyerhaeuser Company announced on Thursday (7-8-21) that they have completed the sale, originally announced in April 2021, of 145,000 acres of timberlands in the North Cascades region of Washington state to Hampton Resources for $266 million.
Wildfire Season Well Ahead of 2020’s Disastrous Pace in California and Other States and Provinces
A dry winter and early heat waves have the entire State of California is in the grip of drought, much of it classified as extreme or exceptional. So far this year, the number of wildfires and the amount of land burned in bone dry California has greatly exceed totals for the same period in the disastrous wildfire year of 2020. Between 1st January 1, 2021 and July 4, 2021, there have been 4,599 separate fires that have scorched 114.8 square miles.
Bark Beetle Infestation and Drought Creates Dangerous Wildfire Conditions in California Forested Lands
The bark beetle infestation that destroyed large portions of forest in the southern Sierra Nevada’s has moved into the North State, killing millions of trees and adding fuel to an already dangerous wildfire season. And according to the U.S. Forest Service, the federal agency responsible for managing much of California’s forested lands, it is a problem that won’t be going away anytime soon.
CatchMark Timber Trust Inc. Sells 18,063 Acres of Oregon Forestland to Roseburg Resource Co.
CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. announced on Thursday (6-24-21) that had entered into a definitive agreement to sell 18,063 acres of prime Oregon timberlands — known as the Bandon property — for $100 million in cash, or approximately $5,536 per acre, to Roseburg Resources Co. CatchMark purchased the property in August 2018 for $88.8 million, or $4,916 per acre, exclusive of transaction costs.
J.P. Morgan Asset Management Acquires Campbell Global LLC
J.P. Morgan Asset Management announced on Monday (6-21-21) that they have acquired forest management and timberland investing company, Campbell Global, LLC. The terms of the transaction with Campbell Global’s parent company, BrightSphere Investment Group, were not disclosed.
Hot and Dry Conditions in the Western U.S. has New Wildfires at a 10-year High Level
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the number of new wildfires in the U.S. so far this year is at a 10-year high. Since January, more than a million acres have burned from more than 28,000 wildfires — the highest number of fires for this date since 2011. There are currently 33 active large fires across the West.