Tag Archives: Texas Forest Service

Wildfire disaster declared

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Stay safe, y’all. Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a wildfire disaster declaration for about 75% of Texas counties, allowing them to use all available state resources to respond to any new fires as the state continues to bake under triple-digit … Continue reading →

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Harris County implements a burn ban

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Surely this is a thing we can all comply with. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday enacted a countywide burn ban due to drought conditions and an increased threat of wildfires across unincorporated Harris County, but fireworks will remain legal … Continue reading →

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A dollar a tree

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Replacing the trees lost in the Bastrop fires last summer is going to cost some money, but there’s now a foundation working on raising that money. Flanked by containers bristling with pine tree seedlings, state and local officials on Tuesday … Continue reading →

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Assessing the risk of wildfires

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

While one hopes that it won’t be a problem this year, the Harris County Fire Marshall has come up with a plan to protect vulnerable areas from wildfires. Four months ago, Harris County became the most populated county in the … Continue reading →

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More than five million trees lost in the cities

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More depressing numbers from the drought. It was a sight more common than usual this past summer: a tree too thirsty to live became another casualty to the drought. City workers would either remove the tree, or, if they were … Continue reading →

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Half a billion trees

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Damn. The current Texas drought has killed as many as 500 million trees 10 percent of the state’s forest cover and the end is not in sight, according to the Texas Forest Service. Some of the hardest-hit areas are in … Continue reading →

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We had a wildfire protection plan

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We just weren’t willing to pay for it. Long before this month’s historic wildfires in Texas, the state’s forest service came up with a $20.4 million plan to stop the flames from starting or tamp them out before small blazes … Continue reading →

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This is an excellent time to cut funding for fighting wildfires

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That’s exactly what the Republicans did in the budget that came into effect last week. Cash-strapped state lawmakers – led by Gov. Rick Perry’s stand against raising taxes or dipping too deeply into the state rainy day fund – cut … Continue reading →

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