Below are two satellite photos of the Wallow fire.
The first one was captured from the Landsat 7 ETM+ (SLC-Off) sensor today around noon. The active fire is orange and burned areas are red; you can easily see the smoke blowing to the north east. The linear “gaps” that look like venetian blinds in the imagery indicate a sensor malfunction in those areas. Other than that, a gorgeous image. Spatial resolution (pixel size) of this imagery is 30m. The MODIS thermal detects that we have in some of the other satellite images are 1km.
The second image is a standard weather satellite image, captured today at 6:15 p.m.
Click to enlarge these images.
Thanks Jess
Johnny Coldwater-suggestion that the fire were set intentionally in order to stimulate the economy is baseless & disrespectful.
As to the Govt. protecting property, my step-mother lives in Hereford AZ and there are men and women, from all over the country, risking their lives fighting this fire and protecting the public and property.
To Forest Appeal 1990
There is plenty of blame to go around.
Fire suppression as policy goes back nearly 100 years long before the environmental movement NEPA and the ESA. To avoid that part of the story is disingenuous and ignores the fact that there are many factors at play and does nothing to move us towards a workable solution to the problem.
Many very interesting and factual comments. I wonder if these fires are a new approach to Federal stimulas? The horse is out of the stable now lets close the gate. For those who “beat-up” the VLAT’s twenty-two (22) helicopters assigned to Wallow. Over 3000 personnal and more on the way. What is the resource value verses cost and risk to personnal on the line? Is there any significant obtainable goal? Don’t expect the goverment to protect your lives and property.
People seem to be oblivious to the impact that environmentalism, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangerd Species Act (ESA) have had on Forest Management. Prior to 1968 the Forests were managed under the Multiple-Use/Sustained Yield Act which promoted “multiple-use/sustained yield” of the forests. That meant timber harvest and clearing to prevent forest fires burning out of control and destroying resources. However, when NEPA was passed, Congress gave “citizen standing” for anyone who could afford a postage stamp to appeal and stop (stay) timber harvest or any other use they didn’t like by claiming that the USFS had not complied with the procedural requirements of NEPA. Environmental organizations became expert in filing appeals and stopping timber harvest. Further, they became active in Forest Plan implementation which required the USFS to involve them and to make their forest plans comply with the ESA and NEPA. Suddenly the Forests were being managed for “wildlife habitat” and “endangered species” which needed dead and down trees for “habitat” notwithstanding the danger presented to fire suppression. The Forest Plan adopted cerca 1990 on the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest emphasized wildlife management and directed that whenever there was a conflict between wildlife and any other use, wildlife prevailed. It was then a simple matter of creating “conflicts” between wildlife and forest use to stop all timber harvest. Southwest Forest Industry’s Timber mill in Eagar was closed and hundreds of local loggers put out of work. The Mountain State’s Legal Foundation was involved in the appeal of the Forest Plan and its briefs contain the entire story of the battle that was fought and lost by industry to prevent this catastrophy. It is well documented in the forest plan appeal and NEPA documentation but no one has the intestinal fortitude to look at it because it takes some effort, courage and brains all of which seem to be in short supply. Journalism has deteriorated to a bunch of “yuppies” looking cute in their clothes for the nightly news and parroting the agency line of “high winds and dry conditions”. No one seems to be interested in the truth! Which insures that these catastrophic wildfires will continue to destroy our national forests.
I wish someone would go back and get the Apache Sitgreaves Forest Appeal brief filed by Stone Container, Southwest Forest Industries, Rancho Alegre Cattle Co. And others circa 1989-1990 which contain the true story about Forest mis-management and environmentalist “monkey wrenching” to prevent timber harvest and forest management in the name of Wildlife preservation. The record would clearly show that the USFS was warned by experts in Forest Management that if they adopted a plan that always elevated wildlife habitat over resource production, it would end up shutting down timber harvest and clearing activities, fuel load the forest floor and make wildfires uncontrollable and burn down the forests within 20 years. The Forest Service chose to ignore the warning out of fear of environmentalist lawsuits and Lobbying efforts to cut it’s budgets and implemented a forest plan which ensured disaster! Now, 15 or so years later we are seeing the results. Rather than admitting their guilt, the USFS misinformation machine blames “high winds and dry conditions”. The dullards in news gobble it up and regurgitate it back to the public and the truth gets no attention. Then the USFS gets to look like the “hero” battling the monster it created!
Just incredible, the size is unreal! We are in neighboring NM just cross the AZ border watching closely. The smoke here has been incredible at times, depending on the winds… Hopefully the crews are able to get some control to this fire.
389,000 acres today. Two more type 1 IMTs coming on line for a total of 3 teams. An area command coming on as well. Today is a critical day for holding line.