The combination of topography, climate, and vegetation in Curry County contribute to wildfire risk. While wildfire has an important role in natural ecosystems, the cost of suppression has risen markedly in recent years. Population growth in the county places more homes at risk. At the same time, suppression activities and forestry practices have increased the risk of large, catastro-phic fires by allowing forest fuel buildup.10 Understanding the history of wildfire and the effects of human activities on wildfire frequency and intensity in the county will help communities re-duce their risk to wildfire.
Local/Regional Fire History
The incidence of major wildfires impacting communities in Curry County dates back more than 100 years when the Coos Bay Fire destroyed the town of Port Orford in the fall of 1868.11 Other notable fires in the region include the Bandon Fire that burned over 225,000 acres in Coos and Curry Counties in1936 and the Silver Fire that burned 97,000 acres in the Southern Oregon Coast Range. Most recently, the Biscuit Fire burned nearly 500,000 acres in two Oregon counties (Josephine County and Curry County) and part of northern California.12
Human activities have had a significant impact in changing the frequency and types of fires from historical patterns. Before intensive fire suppression efforts in the 1900’s, natural wildfires were a significant factor that influenced the forests of the region. Wildfires thinned forests of dead and diseased vegetation, replenished the soil and stimulated new growth and biodiversity.13
8 Bureau of Land Mgmt. Coos Bay District. http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/coosbay/about.php. (April 3, 2007)
9 Smith River Rancheria Website. http://www.tolowa-nsn.gov/introduction.cfm. (April 16, 2007).
10 Curry County Emergency Management. Curry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. (3.1.12).
11 Curry County Emergency Management. Curry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. (2.1.23).
12 Curry County Emergency Management. Curry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. (3.1.8).
13 Curry County Emergency Management. Curry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. (3.1.3).
On the west side of the region nearest the coast, the fire intervals typically varied from 100 to 200 years. Generally the fire frequency increases to the east towards the higher elevations of the Southern Oregon Coast Range and Siskiyou Mountains.14
Table 3.2 Oregon's Most Destructive Wildland/Urban Interface Fires.
Year Fire Name Acres
Burned County Structures
Burned Cost
2005 Deer Creek 1,60015
Josephine 12 $5 Million16
2004 Redwood Highway 210 Josephine 3 Estimate unavailable
2003 B&B Fire 90,800 Linn/Jefferson/Deschutes 0 $38 Million
2002 Eyerly 23,573 Jefferson 37 $10.7 million
2002 Cache Mountain 4,200 Deschutes 2 $4.3 million
2002 Sheldon Ridge 12,761 Wasco 8 $3.3 million
2002 Squire Peak 2,804 Jackson 6 $2 million
2002 Biscuit 499,965 Josephine/Curry 14 $150 Million
1996 Skeleton 17,700 Deschutes 17 $2 million
1994 Hull Mountain 8,000 Jackson 44 $10 million
1992 Sage Flat 991 Deschutes 5 $1.2 million
1992 East Evans Creek 10,135 Jackson 4 $8.2 million
1992 Lone Pine 30,727 Klamath 3 $500,000
1990 Awbrey Hall 3,400 Deschutes 22 $2.2 million
1987 Bland Mountain 10,300 Douglas 14 Unknown
1936 Bandon 225,000 Coos/Curry 484 Unknown
1868 Coos Bay Fire 300,000 Coos/Curry (Port Orford) Unknown Source: Oregon Department of Forestry and Curry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan
Causes of Fire
Historically, lighting was the primary ignition source of wildfires in the region. Weather patterns from May through October are characterized by periods of drought separated by storms that pro-duce dry forest fuels followed by frequent lightning strikes, a common source of ignitions.17 During the past two decades, fires caused by human activities were more frequent that those ig-nited by natural processes. Ignition sources attributable to humans accounted for 75% of
wild-14 Southwest Oregon Fire Management Plan. September 2004. (73-74).
15 Resource Innovations, University of Oregon. 2006. Community Resilience and the 2005 Deer Creek Fire – Sum-mary Report.
16 http://orww.org/Wildfires/Deer_Creek/. (July 16, 2007).
17 Southwest Oregon Fire Management Plan. September 2004. (11).
fires recorded from 1984-2003. According to the Southwest Oregon Fire Management Plan, the annual occurrence of human caused ignitions has increased in recent years.18
Human activities are a preventable cause of wildfires. Activities such as smoking, debris burn-ing, campfires and sparks from logging equipment and vehicles are some examples of human ignition sources.19
Fire Regime and Condition Class
The frequency of major fires often runs in cycles with predictable patterns of change and the in-teraction of variables such as temperature, wind, moisture and ignition. These cycles can be de-scribed by fire regimes. Fire managers and ecologists have developed fire regimes to characterize the historical fire patterns typical of Southwestern Oregon.20
• Fire Regime I
<35 years non-lethal, low-severity (mostly forested areas). (Ponderosa pine, Oregon white oak, pine-oak woodlands, Douglas-fir and dry site white fir plant associations)
• Fire Regime II
<35 years stand replacing (grassland and shrublands). (Shrub-steppe community)
• Fire Regime III
35-100+ years, mixed severity. (Moist/high elevation white fir, tanoak, western hemlock series)
• Fire Regime IV
35-100+ years stand replacing. (Shasta red fir and Port-Orford cedar associations)
• Fire Regime V
200+ years stand replacement (Western hemlock, silver fir and mountain hemlock series) The forests of Southwest Oregon are typically in a low to moderate severity fire regime.21 The condition class scale is a rating that describes the landscape’s current state relative to its his-toric or reference condition. According to the Southwest Oregon Fire Management Plan, condi-tion class varies throughout Curry County averaging a 2 with improvements coming primarily from timber harvest and silvaculture treatments.
Condition Class 1 = Fire frequencies are within or near the historical range, and have de-parted from historical frequencies by no more than one return interval; vegetation attrib-utes are intact and functioning within the historic range. The risk of losing key ecosystem components is low.
Condition Class 2 = Fire frequencies and vegetation attributes have been moderately al-tered from the historical range, and fire frequencies have departed from historical fre-quencies by more than one return interval. The risk of losing key ecosystem components is moderate.
18 Southwest Oregon Fire Management Plan. September 2004. (102-103).
19 Curry County Emergency Management. Curry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. (3.1.5).
20 Southwest Oregon Fire Management Plan. September 2004. (12).
21 Southwest Oregon Fire Management Plan. September 2004. (11).
Condition Class 3 = Fire frequencies and vegetation attributes have been significantly al-tered from the historical range, and fire frequencies have departed from historical fre-quencies by multiple return intervals. The risk of losing key ecosystem components is high.