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IMAGE: A view of the Riverside Fire from La Dee Flats on the Mt. Hood National Forest on Sept. 9, 2020. The fire encompassed over 138,000 acres, largely on the Mt.. view more
Credit: U.S. Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region
The Clackamas Basin rarely experiences the intense fire activity that burned in the watershed during the Labor Day fires, but new research out of Portland State University shows that wildfires like the Riverside Fire, which grew to 138,000 acres within days, could become more common under a warming climate, even under non-extreme wind conditions.
The study found that wildfire hazard in the Clackamas Basin, which is the second largest source of drinking water for the Portland metro area, will likely increase by mid-century. Projected changes in temperature and relative humidity are expected to lead to longer fire seasons and more severe fire weather in Oregon s Western Cascade mountains, which in turn will result in larger, more freque