At the beginning of September 2020, high heat, severe winds, and extended drought conditions resulted in the volatile growth of wildfires ahead of the western slopes of the Cascades Mountains in the Pacific Northwest. The fires engulfed huge tracts of destroyed communities, and forestland took tons of lives, and cost hundreds of millions to fight.
Factors including extreme winds, topography and vegetation influenced severity of burns from Oregon s devastating 2020 megafires miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Study Explores Link Between Forestry Management Practices and Pesticides in Aquatic Species Details
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Pesticides used in forestry may threaten species in downstream rivers and estuaries, but little is known about the extent to which this occurs.
Pesticides used in forestry may threaten species in downstream rivers and estuaries, but little is known about the extent to which this occurs. A new study by researchers at Portland State University found mussels, clams and oysters in watersheds along the Oregon Coast are exposed to pesticides used in managing forests. The results of this study, published in the journal Toxics, have implications for developing better forest management practices that are less likely to negatively affect aquatic life.
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IMAGE: A view of the Riverside Fire from La Dee Flats on the Mt. Hood National Forest on Sept. 9, 2020. The fire encompassed over 138,000 acres, largely on the Mt.. view more
Credit: U.S. Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region
The Clackamas Basin rarely experiences the intense fire activity that burned in the watershed during the Labor Day fires, but new research out of Portland State University shows that wildfires like the Riverside Fire, which grew to 138,000 acres within days, could become more common under a warming climate, even under non-extreme wind conditions.
The study found that wildfire hazard in the Clackamas Basin, which is the second largest source of drinking water for the Portland metro area, will likely increase by mid-century. Projected changes in temperature and relative humidity are expected to lead to longer fire seasons and more severe fire weather in Oregon s Western Cascade mountains, which in turn will result in larger, more freque