United States
The Bootleg Fire – which torched more than 400,000 acres before being fully contained in August – was the second-largest wildfire in the United States in 2021 and the third-largest in Oregon since 1900. Join the Friends of the Klamath County Library online on Wednesday, January 19th at 2pm for a discussion with local retired lawyer Bill Ganong about the “perfect storm” of conditions that led to the explosive fire, and how his family was able to mitigate damage to their property through their approach to forest management.
The Ganong family has owned and managed the Buck Camp Ranch north of Bly since 1953. For the last 25 years, the Ganongs have applied the holistic, sustainable forest management principles set forth by the American Tree Farm System, a network of family forest owners who aim to balance the economic needs of the wood and paper industry with stewardship of the water, wildlife and soil quality on their properties.
Bill Ganong will discuss how the family’s holistic approach ended up reducing the damage the property suffered in the Bootleg Fire, how firefighters fought the blaze, and how the land is recovering in the aftermath.
Local landowners will find Ganong’s roundup of resources especially helpful, with links to public and private organizations who can assist with both improving the quality of their land and with preparing for wildfire seasons to come.
The presentation will be followed by a brief business meeting of the Friends.
The presentation is free to the public, but registration is required so we can send you the invite to connect via Zoom teleconferencing. For more information and to register, email the Friends at folklamath@gmail.com.
For more about how you can become a Friend of the Klamath County Library, visit klamathlibrary.org/friends. The organization is currently looking for members to join their executive board. For more information, email folklamath@gmail.com.