North Fork weather roller coaster

For the last several weeks, the weather has been a strange roller coaster. We have had below normal temperatures and heavy rain with even a few snow flurries. Now, we are looking at above normal temperatures that may break records.

During all of this we had minor flooding in the lower North Fork and the river was running bank-full and muddy. But only briefly. Within two days, the river was not clear, but it had dropped some and was leafy green instead of muddy. Only Canyon Creek is running with mud and Big Creek a little unclear. All other creeks, while high, are mostly clear, the snow is diminishing in the high country and I am sure that there is no danger of a major flood and river flows have started their seasonal reduction which will continue into the fall and winter.

The next big question is what does the summer hold for us on the problem of fire risk. The June 1 Forest Service assessment indicates a normal or maybe a below normal fire risk on the North Fork. I imagine that their forecast presumes normal rainfall. Certainly we had above normal precipitation in May. That month and June are normally our wettest months and are a huge factor in determining fire danger in July, August, and September. As I write this on June 5th, yesterday was in the 80s and it is supposed to be even warmer today and Monday. This kind of warmth so early in June can dry out the forest pretty quickly.

My advice to North Fork residents is to act now to protect your property from wildfire. Most important is to remove fire hazards from around your buildings. I am also a big advocate of managing your forest—proper spacing and removal of dead, dry fuels can be vital in keeping a fire on the ground where it can be fought effectively and out of the crowns where wind can whip it into an uncontrollable inferno.

When you are planning, don’t forget the road into your buildings. You need to make it safe for your escape and safe for firefighters to get in to fight fire if needed. We will always have forest fires. They will be ignited by Mother Nature’s lightning or careless humans. We can mitigate fires by managing the fuels they burn. In the end we (humans) control what will happen.

There is still about $20,000 in our current fuels management grant. If you have a project on your property that might qualify for some of this money, contact Bill Swope or any NFLA officer. A qualified forester will assess your property free of charge.

The first NFLA business meeting was held June 4 with a large group of members in attendance. As always, there is a big social calendar. Members received the schedule by mail but it is also posted on the porch of Sondreson Hall and the bulletin board at the Merc. The Graff family has donated an AED for Sondreson Hall and deserve our heartfelt thanks.