PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Due to intense wildfire activity in the Pacific Northwest, Forest Service leaders in the region said Sunday they have approved the use of heavy equipment and fire retardant to help extinguish wildfires in roadless and wilderness areas on a case-by-case basis.

“These aggressive firefighting efforts are used only when they are the most effective firefighting tool available and when they provide a high probability of success in protecting lives, property, and valuable natural resources such as old-growth forests and endangered species habitat. They also support firefighter safety,” the Forest Service said in a press release, which continues in full below:

“Given the high intensity of wildfire activity in the Pacific Northwest, it is critical that firefighters have access to all resources, including heavy equipment and fire retardant, to suppress wildfires, even in some protected areas,” said Jacque Buchanan, Regional Forester for the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Region. “Due to current and potential increases in wildfire activity, the use of heavy equipment and fire retardant in protected areas, when authorized, is an absolute necessity for professional firefighters to protect lives, property and irreplaceable natural resources such as old-growth forests.”

Protecting resources is a major concern for leaders considering where and when to permit the use of heavy equipment and retardants in Roadless and Wilderness areas. Numerous protocols and procedures help prevent adverse effects on fish and wildlife. Out of an abundance of caution, airdrops of retardants are not permitted in mapped avoidance areas for threatened, endangered, proposed, and candidate species, identified cultural resources, or in waterways.

Areas where fire retardant or mechanical equipment is approved for possible use as part of roadless and wilderness firefighting operations:

• Mt. Hood National Forest – in and along the border of the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness in response to the Whiskey Creek Fire, which had burned nearly 900 acres as of Sunday and was 0% contained.

Heavy equipment, including bulldozers, can be particularly useful in reopening or upgrading existing roads for use as containment lines. This approach reduces the risk to firefighters, as the only alternative is often to build a handline, which creates new disruptions, may be less effective at containing the fire, and requires significantly more people for a longer period of time. In addition, a bulldozer line provides better access for medical care in the event of firefighter injuries.

Areas where heavy equipment is approved for potential use as part of active firefighting operations:

• Willamette National Forest – Using heavy equipment to create emergency lines along the edges of the Middle Santiam Wilderness and nearby Inventoried Roadless Areas in response to the Pyramid Fire, which has burned more than 1,000 acres and was 8% contained as of Sunday.

Pyramid and slate fires (InciWeb)

As the fire season progresses, more approvals will likely be needed.

Stay up to date with the latest news on major fires in the Pacific Northwest through InciWeb, the Incident Information System.

For more information about how the USDA Forest Service manages wildfires, visit the Forest Service Wildland Fire page.

For more information about the Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r6.