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Summer’s School Fire killed more wildlife than first feared
‘Most of these animals were cremated’
BY ERIC BARKER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
POMEROY — The 52,000-acre School Fire hit big game animals much harder than wildlife officials originally thought.
They now believe half the elk, one-third of the deer and half of the bighorn sheep on the W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area perished in the flames this summer. Foresters and biologists for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently discovered the charred remains of 200 elk, 150 deer and eight bighorn sheep on the wildlife area.
“It was so hot in there most of these animals were cremated,” said Shana Kozusko, fire coordinator for the department of Fish and Wildlife. “Even the teeth crumble in your hands.”
Soon after the fire, officials estimated the wildlife losses to be light. Access to much of the area was restricted when that es-timate was made and helicopter surveys did not reveal the ash-covered carcasses. More recently foresters along with fisheries, and wildlife biologists have been surveying areas intensely burned by the fire to determine habitat restoration needs. In the course of that work they discovered the badly burned deer, elk and bighorn sheep remains.
Many of the remains were found in groups of 10 to 15 animals, Kozusko said. The animals likely were trapped by flames and smoke during the fire’s dramatic blow up Aug. 6. That is when the fire, pushed by winds out of the southwest, raced across thousands of acres. It badly charred vast areas of Cummings Creek and Tumalum Creek.
No place to hide
Kozusko said many of the dead deer and elk were found with the remains of rabbits that had tried to hide under the larger animals. The extreme heat also caused dramatic temperature spikes that killed hundreds of fish in some of the streams in the area.
“We found dead fish, dead macro-invertebrates and dead everything in there,” said Del Groat, a fisheries biologist for the Umatilla National Forest at Pomeroy.
Both the Forest Service and the Department of Fish and Wildlife are working on habitat rehabilitation plans and emergency measures to prevent large-scale flooding and erosion this spring. Both agencies have used helicopters to drop grass seed on thousands of acres and have plans to plant tens of thousands of trees and shrubs.
Pomeroy District Ranger Monte Fujishin said initial restoration efforts have concentrated on making sure road and stream crossing infrastructure can withstand spring runoff. Some culverts are being upgraded, bridges secured and the agency is placing straw and wood fiber in key spots to reduce erosion.
Officials from both agencies are working to place logs and other large woody debris in the creeks where the fire burned hot. It is hoped the wood will help to create pools to slow stream flows this spring.
“We are going to tip some (trees) over just so we can break up the high water,” Groat said.
The Forest Service plans to salvage log on about 10,000 acres and is preparing a draft environmental impact statement on the pro-ject that could be implemented as soon as next fall. Salvage logging of the Wooten Wildlife Area will begin much sooner. Plans call for logging as much as 15 million board feet of burned timber from 2,500 acres.
About 12,000 acres of the 16,000-acre Wooten Wildlife Area burned in the fire. Up to 27,000 acres of the Pomeroy Ranger District burned along with 13,000 acres of private land.
‘Most of these animals were cremated’
BY ERIC BARKER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
POMEROY — The 52,000-acre School Fire hit big game animals much harder than wildlife officials originally thought.
They now believe half the elk, one-third of the deer and half of the bighorn sheep on the W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area perished in the flames this summer. Foresters and biologists for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently discovered the charred remains of 200 elk, 150 deer and eight bighorn sheep on the wildlife area.
“It was so hot in there most of these animals were cremated,” said Shana Kozusko, fire coordinator for the department of Fish and Wildlife. “Even the teeth crumble in your hands.”
Soon after the fire, officials estimated the wildlife losses to be light. Access to much of the area was restricted when that es-timate was made and helicopter surveys did not reveal the ash-covered carcasses. More recently foresters along with fisheries, and wildlife biologists have been surveying areas intensely burned by the fire to determine habitat restoration needs. In the course of that work they discovered the badly burned deer, elk and bighorn sheep remains.
Many of the remains were found in groups of 10 to 15 animals, Kozusko said. The animals likely were trapped by flames and smoke during the fire’s dramatic blow up Aug. 6. That is when the fire, pushed by winds out of the southwest, raced across thousands of acres. It badly charred vast areas of Cummings Creek and Tumalum Creek.
No place to hide
Kozusko said many of the dead deer and elk were found with the remains of rabbits that had tried to hide under the larger animals. The extreme heat also caused dramatic temperature spikes that killed hundreds of fish in some of the streams in the area.
“We found dead fish, dead macro-invertebrates and dead everything in there,” said Del Groat, a fisheries biologist for the Umatilla National Forest at Pomeroy.
Both the Forest Service and the Department of Fish and Wildlife are working on habitat rehabilitation plans and emergency measures to prevent large-scale flooding and erosion this spring. Both agencies have used helicopters to drop grass seed on thousands of acres and have plans to plant tens of thousands of trees and shrubs.
Pomeroy District Ranger Monte Fujishin said initial restoration efforts have concentrated on making sure road and stream crossing infrastructure can withstand spring runoff. Some culverts are being upgraded, bridges secured and the agency is placing straw and wood fiber in key spots to reduce erosion.
Officials from both agencies are working to place logs and other large woody debris in the creeks where the fire burned hot. It is hoped the wood will help to create pools to slow stream flows this spring.
“We are going to tip some (trees) over just so we can break up the high water,” Groat said.
The Forest Service plans to salvage log on about 10,000 acres and is preparing a draft environmental impact statement on the pro-ject that could be implemented as soon as next fall. Salvage logging of the Wooten Wildlife Area will begin much sooner. Plans call for logging as much as 15 million board feet of burned timber from 2,500 acres.
About 12,000 acres of the 16,000-acre Wooten Wildlife Area burned in the fire. Up to 27,000 acres of the Pomeroy Ranger District burned along with 13,000 acres of private land.
