[12] Human Impact on the Environment

Fires

According to Oregon.gov...
There are about 1,100 fires annually on the 16 million acres of private and public forestland protected by the Oregon Dept. of Forestry. On average, those fires burn about 12,000 total acres. The forestlands protected by the department include about 13 million acres of private and non-federal public lands, and about 3 million acres of Bureau of Land Management lands west of the Cascades.

About two-thirds of Oregon's wildfires are caused by people and one-third by lightning. At one time, forest operators were responsible for the majority of human-caused fires. But that has changed. Logging technology and methods have improved, sharply reducing the number of operator-caused fires. At the same time our population has grown, with more and more Oregonians living in or near the forest and recreating there. As a result, the public now accounts for half or more of all human-caused fires. Common causes include debris burns, gas-powered equipment use, campfires, off-road vehicle use and smoking. Practicing fire safety in the woods is crucial to prevent large fires that can damage the forest, destroy homes and even take lives.

Below is a chart on Oregon's most destructive fires in it's history.



Sources: Forest Log, National Interagency Coordination Center situation reports

Air Quality



Click on the image above for a closer look at the air quality in Oregon.

Color indicators:
blue = Best/Cleanest in the US
teal = low/mid
green = medium
yellow = mid/high
red = Worst/Dirtiest in the US

Counties in OREGON with the Greatest Reported Releases of Lead to Air:

1. KLAMATH @ 682 lbs
2. DOUGLAS @ 227 lbs
3. WASHINGTON @ 61 lbs
4. UNION @ 51 lbs
5. CLACKAMAS @ 4 lbs

The chart below shows grades for each type of emission, the overall ambient grade, and the resultant county grades. There are two county grades, "self" for the county as determined by its own emission and ambient grades, and "map" for the county as affected by neighboring counties.



The graph below shows how many days in a year the air is healthy around Multnomah County (Portland, OR)



Water Pollution

In some areas of Oregon, more groundwater has been drawn by wells than is replaced by rainfall and snow melt.

There are parts of the state that have widespread nitrate contamination of groundwater.

And, there are localized cases of leaks, spills, or dumping that have polluted the groundwater.

The WACKER SILTRONIC CORP in PORTLAND releases 1,074,401 lbs of water pollutants in the us, ranking 48 in the nation.

Animal Wastes



Oregon ranks #32 in producing 11,000,000 tons of animal waste pollution (1997).

Animal Waste Trends in MULTNOMAH County
Animal Type :: Percentage Change in Animal Waste

Hogs :: Decreased by 63% from 1987 to 1997
Cattle :: Increased by 101% from 1987 to 1997
Poultry :: Increased by 3% from 1987 to 1997
Sheep :: Decreased by 88% from 1987 to 1997

***Total Animal Increased by 91% from 1987 to 1997***

Sources
Creative Methods
Groundwater Stewardship in Oregon
Oregon.gov
Scorecard, the pollution info site