Overview of 2020 Labor Day fires:

• Total acres burned: 1,002,943 (from fires on this list only)
• Estimated private acres (large and small): 356,120
• Personnel provided by OFIC members or their contractors: 658
• Equipment provided by OFIC members or their contractors: 357

Other Information

For information on tracking current fires maps and how you can help communities, please visit Oregon Forests Forever’s Wildfire Resources page.

For information on the devastating effects of wildfires to our health, our environment and our communities, visit Oregon Forests Forever’s catastrophic wildfire page.

Ownership and Harvest Percentages

• Over 60% of the forestland in Oregon is owned by the government: 60% federal, 4% state and county
• Over 10 million acres, or 34% of forestland is privately owned
• Private forestland produces roughly 80% of the timber harvest in Oregon
• Oregon is the number one producer of softwood lumber and plywood in the nation
• Find more facts and figures here.

Cause of fires

• The leading causes of wildfires in the state are all human-made: debris burning, power equipment and escaped campfires
• Over 2/3rds of the fires in Oregon are human-caused
• For more information on human-caused wildfires, visit Keep Oregon Green

Whose land is burning?

• Excluding the 2020 fire season (which was driven by an extreme weather event, during which all land burned, managed or not), 86% of the forested acres that have burned in Oregon in the past decade were on Federal lands. 
• Between 2000 and 2019, 15 of the 16 megafires in Oregon started on federally managed lands – many of them then spread to private and state lands where they were put out because of road access and better fuels management.
• In 2020, Oregon saw 17 large fires on the landscape. Over half of them, including many of the most destructive fires, likely started on federally managed lands and are responsible for three quarters of the acres burned.
• United States Forest Service lands are burning at more than twice the rate of Bureau of Land Management lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry and nearly five times the rate of other private and state lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry.
• Fires on private and state lands are easier to put out because fuels are reduced through harvest, lands are replanted after fire, access is maintained through roads, and fires are aggressively, but safely, put out

Carbon emissions from fire

• One large fire year (roughly 1 million acres burned) can emit up to 15 million tons of carbon, equivalent to:
  • A quarter of Oregon’s annual human-caused emissions 
  • Twice as much carbon as all the cars in Portland emit in one year
• According to the most recent data, carbon emissions from 2020 Oregon wildfires surpassed those from both our energy and transportation sectors – which were previously our largest sources of emissions. 
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality estimates that the 2017 fire year, which burned three-quarters of the acres the 2020 fire season has burned, produced:
  • Over 3 million tons of carbon monoxide or more than ten times what on-road vehicles emitted in 2014
  • Over 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxides or more than three times what on-road vehicles emitted in 2014
  • Over 200,000 tons of fine particulates or more than 171 times what on-road vehicles emitted in 2014
  • Over 1.5 million tons of volatile organic compounds or more than 46 times what on-road vehicles emitted in 2014
• Click here to read more on how Oregon’s forests are part of the solution to climate change

Smoke damage

• The 2017 fire season, which burned three-quarters of the acres the 2020 fire season has burned,produced:
  • 160 days when air quality was Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG)
  • 86 percent higher than expected emergency room visits in the first week of September
• For a non-smoker, breathing in the levels of smoke Oregonians have been experiencing in bad fire seasons is like smoking up to two packs of cigarettes a day
• Research suggests exposing unborn children to these levels of smoke can decrease birthweights
• New studies indicate smoke contributes to an increased cardiac risk

• Travel Oregon estimated the 2017 fire season cost
  • $51.5 million in lost visitor spending
  • $16 million in lost earnings for employees and working proprietors
  • $368,000 in lost state tax receipts
  • Cancellation of nine Oregon Shakespeare Festival performances
  • Cancellation of Cycle Oregon’s annual ride
  • Cancellation of the Sisters Folk Festival

For more information on the impacts of smoke, see OFRI’s 2017 wildfire report

Relevant News Clips

Jan. 13, 2021

• Oregon Department of Forestry: After the Fires: Making way for tomorrow’s healthy forests

Nov. 23, 2020

• Oregonian: After the fires, timber industry faces ‘generational’ losses and longer-term supply questions

Oct. 11, 2020

• Oregonian: Opinion: Wildfires show need to unite behind forestry solutions

Oct. 9, 2020

• Freres Lumber: Salvaged Timber from Beachie Creek, Lionshead Fires

Oct. 8, 2020

• Wildfire Today: The true cost of wildfire

Oct. 7, 2020

• OFRI: Private landowners and loggers help fight Labor Day fires
• Willamette Week: Oregon’s Indigenous Communities Know How to Stop Megafires. Will the State Let Them?

Oct. 6, 2020

• OPB: What the Forest Service can learn from Indigenous fire management

Oct. 5, 2020

• Washington Examiner: Walden: How much more has to burn before Congress fixes forest management?

Oct. 4, 2020

• Statesman-Journal: ‘It’s horrific’: Large swath of Opal Creek forest, Jawbone Flats hit hard by Beachie Creek Fire
• Oregonian: PacifiCorp could face substantial liability if downed power lines caused Oregon wildfires

Oct. 3, 2020

• Register-Guard: Assessing fire impacts on McKenzie River watershed

Oct. 1, 2020

• Oregonian: Oregon wildfires burned $1 billion in homes and belongings last month, new tally finds
• Oregonian: PacifiCorp faces class action lawsuit for downed power lines that allegedly ignited Labor Day fires
• Crosscut: How wildfires in the American West hurt the entire country
• LA Times: The fire retardant dropped out of planes? It’s sticky, gooey and made in the Southland
• Capital Press: Editorial: Feinstein bill targets wildfire risks in West
• NPR: Oregon Governor On Confronting Reality Of Longer And Hotter Fire Seasons
• National Geographic: A tiny pest helped stoke this year’s devastating wildfires

Sept. 30, 2020

• Press Release: Greg Walden Talks Wildfires, Forest Management
• The New Era: ‘Inert’ forest policy dangerous to us
• Forbes: Wildfires Put Nearly 2 Million Homes At Extreme Risk Of Property Losses
• Science: As wildfires continue in western United States, biologists fear for vulnerable species
• Oregonian: Oregon highways along wildfire ravaged forests reopen, nearly half a million trees may still need to be removed

Sept. 29, 2020

• Wall Street Journal: Wildfires in Oregon, California Revive Debate Over Spotted Owl Protection
• Audubon Society: Recent ‘Megafires’ Imperil Even Fire-Loving Forest Birds
• Capital Press: OSU experts weigh in on wildfire recovery prospects
• Portland Tribune: Clackamas County loses $526K in timber due to wildfires

Sept. 28, 2020

• Oregonian: California utility implements preemptive blackouts. Should more Oregon utilities have done the same?
• KATU: Oregon timber industry hit hard by fires, will have generational impact
• KGW: ‘Absolutely heartbreaking’: Gov. Brown tours wildfire damage in Clackamas County

Sept. 26, 2020

• Statesman Journal: Oregon’s senators pledge to find if wildfires could have been prevented
• Oregon Capital Insider: Lawmakers approve money for wildfire bills, housing aid

Sept. 25, 2020

• Capital Press: Commentary: How national forests suffer from anti-forestry obstruction
• HFHC: Rachel Lee Hall: What Happened to Southern Oregon’s Forest in Spring 2020?
• KXL: Timber Unity Takes Hay To Clackamas County Fairgrounds
• Freres: Rebuilding the Santiam Canyon

Sept. 24, 2020

• Roseburg News Review: Timber toll of the Archie Creek Fire
• AP: Oregon grieves for natural places wiped out by wildfires
• Oregonian: No happy ending to Estacada wildfires as debate erupts over firefighters’ performance

Sept. 23, 2020

• New York Times: After Years of Political Gridlock, Oregon’s Fire Disaster Brings ‘New Reality’

Sept. 22, 2020

• Capital Press: Senate wildfire bill aims to protect communities, resources
• KDRV: Boise Cascade Promises to Match Donations to ACCESS up to $100,000

Sept. 21, 2020

• Capital Press: Commentary: Wildland fuels and destructive wildfire
• AP: Wildfire smoke leaves lung damage long after air clears
• Statesman Journal: 4 million acres of Oregon public land, national forests remain closed by wildfires
• Mother Jones: 2 Years Ago, Scientists Warned Us Dead Trees Would Fuel Unpredictable Wildfires. Now It’s Happening.

Sept. 20, 2020

• Detroit Free Press: Detroit, Ore. residents grapple with an immense loss after historic wildfires

Sept. 19, 2020

• New York Times: Fires Scorch a Way of Life That Still Grows From the Trees
• Register Guard: In My Opinion: A long road to recovery

Sept. 18, 2020

• KEZI: Timber Companies Step Up to Battle Archie Creek Fire
• Press Release: Sens. Wyden, Manchin, Cantwell Introduce Legislation to Help Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires
• Grist: This Oregon forest was supposed to store carbon for 100 years. Now it’s on fire.
• Washington Post: Trump has a point: The fires are worse because we managed the forests badly.
• E&E: Wildfires expose major research and regulatory gaps
• Capital Press: TimberUnity starts signature-gathering campaign for volunteer firefighters

Sept. 17, 2020

• LA Times: Are this year’s wildfires too big for Washington to ignore?
• E&E: Senators urge swift passage of forest policy overhaul
• East Oregonian: Our view | Stop denying the impact of fuel in big fires
• PhysOrg: Wildfires can leave toxic drinking water behind – here’s how to protect the public
• VOA: Wildfire Smoke a Growing Health Problem
• KQEN: Inside Douglas County – Matt Hill, DTO
• Oregonian: Oregon farmworkers face ‘awful choice’ as wildfire smoke plagues harvest
• Reuters: ‘Hillbilly Brigade’ saves Oregon town from wildfires

Sept. 16, 2020

• Press Release: Mason, Bruce & Girard, Inc. Estimates Acreage of Land by Ownership Within Current Wildfire Perimeters in Western Oregon
• Capital Press: Forest workers help fight massive Oregon blazes
• Willamette Week: Oregon “Megafires” This Month Alone Nearly Match the Number From 1900 to 1999
• OPB: Climate Change Is Not The Only Reason For Record Wildfires
• Oregonian: ‘Hundreds of thousands of trees’ need to be removed along Oregon 22; nearly 300 miles of state highways closed indefinitely
• AP: ‘Nothing left in the bucket’: Wildfire resources run thin
• Independent: ‘I looked at Facebook and my town was on fire’: Oregonians tell of dramatic escape from wildfire that devastated their community
• Bend Bulletin: Editorial: Congress should invest in reducing wildfire risk
• Woodworking: Weyerhaeuser donates $150K to Red Cross for wildfire relief

Sept. 15, 2020

• Albany Democrat-Herald: Commissioners to seek Beachie Creek public records
• AP: Easing fires not as simple as climate change vs. forest work
• Tillamook Headlight Herald: Forestry community pulls together to assist with Washington County fires
• KGW: Oregon legislators look to address wildfire bills in 2021
• Lake Oswego Review: Are we forever doomed o more catastrophic fires?
• Politico: Trump Blames California for Fires. He Should Check to See Whose Land They’re On.
• East Oregonian: Our view | Staying vigilant out in the forests
• FOX 12: Escaping the Flames, Forest Service employee shares moments wildfires raced toward them

Sept. 14, 2020

• Capital Press: Timber companies, loggers see major damage from wildfires
• Oregonian: Oregon senator goes home to find rubble, devastation after Beachie Creek wildfire roars through Santiam Canyon
• Oregonian: What are the long-term health problems caused by exposure to wildfire smoke? The data doesn’t exist yet
• Oregonian: Behind the firelines, the race to save Scotts Mills
• Oregonian: Watch: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown talks about wildfires, climate change, who’s to blame
• Oregonian: Wyden: Smoke suffocating the West Coast is ‘debt coming due’ on ‘lousy’ forest management
• Reason: Federal Regulations Have Made Western Wildfires Worse
• KATU: Oregon Republicans criticize Gov. Brown over wildfire, forest management policies
• San Francisco Chronicle: Is climate change worsening California fires, or is it poor forest management? Both, experts say
• Quartz: California’s wildfires are producing more CO2 than its power plants
• KOIN: After the burn: Landslide risks, timber troubles in Oregon

Sept. 13, 2020

• Oregonian: Freres Lumber’s six mills survive Beachie Creek fire, will resume operations soon
• Forbes: Forests That Survive Megafires Prove Good Management Trumps Climate Change

Sept. 12, 2020

• Washington Post: Opinion: Bad forest policies and political indifference kindled Oregon’s wildfires

Sept. 11, 2020

• KATU: Lack of forest management allowed ‘fuels to accumulate’, expert says
• The Hill: Salvage opportunities can lock up carbon, restore forests more quickly

Sept. 10, 2020

• Oregonian: Wind, fuel, heat: 3 factors combined to set western Oregon ablaze
• E&E: Lawmakers plead for federal help as Western fires rage
• Oregonian: Oregon wildfires threaten Opal Creek, Silver Falls, other beloved natural landmarks

Sept. 9, 2020

• Reuters: Oregon wildfires destroy five towns, as three fatalities confirmed in California
• KATU: Oregon faces greatest wildfire loss of human lives, property in state history, gov. says

Sept. 8, 2020

• KTVZ: ‘Wow – it’s a nightmare’: Downed trees, wildfires close Hwys. 20, 22, 126, 97
• NBCNews: Klamath National Forest fire threatening homes near California-Oregon border

Sept. 7, 2020

• Statesman Journal: UPDATES: Santiam Fire mellows somewhat, Firefighters make dramatic escape from Detroit Lake

Sept. 5, 2020

• OPB: Mount Jefferson Wilderness area faces closure due to wildfire