2018 Maple Fire

Last updated
Maple Fire
Maple Fire in Hamma Hamma area at Olympic National Forest August 2018. (30171651948).jpg
Date(s)August 3, 2018 (2018-08-03) – November 2018 (2018-11)
Location Jefferson County, Washington, United States
Coordinates 47°34′41″N123°07′48″W / 47.578°N 123.13°W / 47.578; -123.13
Statistics [1] [2]
Burned area3,300 acres (13 km2)
Land useNational Park
Impacts
Structures destroyed0
Damage$4.5 million
Ignition
CauseHuman caused
Motive Illegal logging
Map
USA Washington location map.svg
FireIcon.svg
Location of fire in Washington.

The Maple Fire was a wildfire on Jefferson Ridge in the Olympic Mountains, approximately 23 miles north of Shelton, Washington in the United States. The fire was caused by illegal logging activities, and the resulting criminal trial was the first time that tree DNA has ever been used in a federal trial in the United States. [3]

Contents

Fire

The Maple Fire was started by a crew of timber poachers who were attempting to steal Big-Leaf Maple trees from the Olympic National Park. The crew discovered a potential target tree on August 3, but were unable to harvest it due to a wasp nest at the base of the tree. After failing to exterminate the nest with insecticides, the crew deliberately set fire to the nest. The fire grew out of control, and the logging crew fled. [3] [2]

The fire was reported the following day, August 4. [4] It was not considered contained until October 10, [5] and continued to smolder until seasonal rains finally extinguished it [6] in November. The Maple Fire ultimately burned 3,300 acres (13 km2) of wildland. [7] A command center was initially established at nearby Brinnon, Washington, but quickly grew too large, and was relocated to Shelton, Washington. [8] At one point, as many as 258 personnel were involved in firefighting efforts. [9] Some unmanned aerial vehicles, [10] and two Washington Air National Guard helicopters were also dispatched to combat the blaze. The firefighting efforts cost $4.5 million. [6]

Criminal proceedings

One member of the illegal logging crew pleaded guilty to theft of public property and setting timber afire in December 2019. [11] He was sentenced to 30 months in prison in September 2020. [12] After a 6 day jury trial in July 2021, another member of the crew was convicted of conspiracy, theft of public property, depredation of public property, trafficking in unlawfully harvested timber, and attempting to traffic in unlawfully harvested timber. [12] He was sentenced to 20 months in prison in November 2021. [3]

Key evidence in the jury trial was DNA samples from wood the crew had sold to nearby mills. These samples were compared with samples in a database of Big Leaf Maple DNA. Analysis showed a very high likelihood that the wood had been poached. This was the first time that tree DNA had ever been used in a federal trial. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National forest (United States)</span> Classification of federal lands in the United States

In the United States, national forest is a classification of protected and managed federal lands that are largely forest and woodland areas. They are owned collectively by the American people through the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, a division of the United States Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Forest Service is also a forestry research organization which provides financial assistance to state and local forestry industry. There are 154 national forests in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas fir</span> Species of tree

The Douglas fir is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three varieties: coast Douglas-fir, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir and Mexican Douglas-fir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logging</span> Process of cutting, processing, and moving trees

Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used narrowly to describe the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard. In common usage, however, the term may cover a range of forestry or silviculture activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumberjack</span> Worker who performs the initial harvesting of trees

Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled using hand tools and dragged by oxen to rivers.

<i>Eucalyptus regnans</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus regnans, known variously as mountain ash, giant ash or swamp gum, or stringy gum, is a species of very tall forest tree that is native to the Australia states of Tasmania and Victoria. It is a straight-trunked tree with smooth grey bark, but with a stocking of rough brown bark at the base, glossy green, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between nine and fifteen, white flowers, and cup-shaped or conical fruit. It is the tallest of all flowering plants; the tallest measured living specimen, named Centurion, stands 100 metres tall in Tasmania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tillamook Burn</span> Series of forest fires in the Northern Oregon Coast Range

The Tillamook Burn was a series of forest fires in the Northern Oregon Coast Range of Oregon in the United States that destroyed a total area of 350,000 acres of old growth timber in what is now known as the Tillamook State Forest. There were four wildfires in this series, which spanned the years of 1933–1951. By association, the name Tillamook Burn also refers to the location of these fires. This event is an important part of Oregon's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illegal logging</span> Harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws

Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a protected area; the cutting down of protected species; or the extraction of timber in excess of agreed limits. Illegal logging is a driving force for a number of environmental issues such as deforestation, soil erosion and biodiversity loss which can drive larger-scale environmental crises such as climate change and other forms of environmental degradation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny National Forest</span> National forest in Pennsylvania, United States

The Allegheny National Forest is a National Forest in Northwestern Pennsylvania, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The forest covers 513,175 acres of land. Within the forest is Kinzua Dam, which impounds the Allegheny River to form Allegheny Reservoir. The administrative headquarters for the Allegheny National Forest is in Warren. The Allegheny National Forest has two ranger stations, one in Marienville, Forest County, and the other in Bradford, McKean County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old-growth forest</span> Forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance

An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines primary forests as naturally regenerated forests of native tree species where there are no clearly visible indications of human activity and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed. One-third of the world's forests are primary forests. Old-growth features include diverse tree-related structures that provide diverse wildlife habitats that increases the biodiversity of the forested ecosystem. Virgin or first-growth forests are old-growth forests that have never been logged. The concept of diverse tree structure includes multi-layered canopies and canopy gaps, greatly varying tree heights and diameters, and diverse tree species and classes and sizes of woody debris.

Eldon is an unincorporated community in Mason County, Washington, United States. Eldon is located along U.S. Route 101 on the Hood Canal north of Lilliwaup and south of Brinnon. The community has a small store and several recreation areas and businesses catering to travelers and locals.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and guide to forestry:

Salvage logging is the practice of logging trees in forest areas that have been damaged by wildfire, flood, severe wind, disease, insect infestation, or other natural disturbance in order to recover economic value that would otherwise be lost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest</span> State forest in California

Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest is a state forest in Lake County, California that covers the northwest of Boggs Mountain. It was founded in 1949, and came into operation in 1950 when most of the site had been clear cut. The purpose was to demonstrate good practices in restoring and managing a forest. The state forest was open for recreational use, including camping, hiking, mountain biking etc. The 2015 Valley Fire destroyed 80% of the trees. The state forest as of 2021 was replanting saplings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swanton Pacific Ranch</span>

Swanton Pacific Ranch is a 3,200-acre (1,300 ha) ranch in Santa Cruz County, California, outside the town of Davenport. The ranch is owned and operated by California Polytechnic State University for educational and research in sustainable agriculture. The ranch encompasses rangeland, livestock, and forestry operations for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, comprises a significant part of the community of Swanton, and includes the lower Scott Creek watershed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dismal Swamp State Park</span> State park in North Carolina, United States

Dismal Swamp State Park is a North Carolina state park in Camden County, North Carolina, in the United States. The park was created as a state natural area in 1974 with the help of The Nature Conservancy, and on July 28, 2007, the North Carolina General Assembly re-designated it as a state park. It opened to the public in 2008. This marked the first time that public access to Great Dismal Swamp was made possible in North Carolina. The park covers 14,432 acres (58.40 km2) of protected land on the North Carolina/Virginia border. Park offices are 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the border on U.S. Route 17 near South Mills. Features of the park include the canal which is used regularly by boaters using the Intracoastal Waterway and several miles of hiking and biking trails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thirtymile Fire</span> 2001 fire in the Okanogan National Forest, Washington state

The Thirtymile Fire was first reported on July 9, 2001 in the Okanogan National Forest, approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Winthrop, Washington, United States. The wildfire had been caused by an unattended campfire that spread rapidly in the hot and dry weather in the Pacific Northwest. Four firefighters were killed when the fire cut off their only escape route out of the narrow canyon.

<i>Pseudotsuga menziesii <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> menziesii</i> Variety of conifer

Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, commonly known as Coast Douglas-fir, Pacific Douglas-fir, Oregon pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer native to western North America from west-central British Columbia, Canada southward to Central California, United States. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous from the Cascades crest west to the Pacific Coast Ranges and Pacific Ocean. In California, it is found in the Klamath and California Coast Ranges as far south as the Santa Lucia Mountains with a small stand as far south as the Purisima Hills, Santa Barbara County. In the Sierra Nevada it ranges as far south as the Yosemite region. It occurs from near sea level along the coast to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) in the California Mountains. Further inland, coast Douglas-fir is replaced by Rocky Mountain or interior Douglas-fir. Interior Douglas-fir intergrades with coast Douglas-fir in the Cascades of northern Washington and southern British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forests Commission Victoria</span> Government authority managing forests in Victoria, Australia

The Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) was the main government authority responsible for management and protection of State forests in Victoria, Australia between 1918 and 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Washington wildfires</span> Wildfire season in Washington, United States

The 2018 Washington wildfire season officially began June 1, 2018. A statewide state of emergency was declared by Governor Jay Inslee on July 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountain Fire</span> 1992 wildfire in Northern California

The 1992 Fountain Fire was a large and destructive wildfire in Shasta County, California. The fire ignited on August 20 in an act of probable but unattributed arson, and was quickly driven northeast by strong winds. It outpaced firefighters for two days, exhibiting extreme behavior such as long-range spot fires, crown fire runs, and pyrocumulonimbus clouds with dry lightning. The fire was contained after burning for nine days, though work to strengthen and repair fire lines continued for more than two months.

References

  1. "Maple Fire". US Forest Service. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Maple Fire investigation results". United States Forest Service. October 1, 2019. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Patel, Vimal (November 10, 2021). "Timber Poachers Set a Forest on Fire. Tree DNA Sent One to Prison". The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 10, 2021.
  4. Stanford, Julianne (August 7, 2022). "Hazy skies cover Kitsap County due to Washington, Oregon, and California fires". Kitsap Sun. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022.
  5. "Maple Fire 2018". Facebook . October 10, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Carter, Mike (September 30, 2019). "Purported tree poachers charged with causing Olympic National Forest fire by setting a bees nest ablaze". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  7. "Timber thieves indicted in conspiracy that started 3,300-acre forest fire". United States Department of Justice. 30 September 2019. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022.
  8. Boxleitner, Kirk (August 14, 2018). "Command for Maple Fire moves out of Brinnon". Port Townsend Leader. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022.
  9. "Maple Fire Update". Facebook . August 10, 2018.
  10. "Maple Fire Update". Facebook . August 17, 2018.
  11. Pilling, Nathan (September 22, 2020). "Man involved in group that set 2018 Maple Fire sentenced to 30 months". Kitsap Sun. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Timber thief convicted following 6-day trial". United States Department of Justice. 9 July 2021. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022.