The Butler Fire is spreading freely across the steep and rugged slopes of the Lower Salmon River Watershed, in Northwest California. My friend and colleague, Will Harling lives at the bottom of the mountain, and is watching the fire spread toward his neighborhood. Rather than packing up and running, he is setting up to conduct a prescribed burn around his house, today, with a bunch of fire-savvy neighbors, co-workers, and friends.
How did folks on the Klamath River come to be so comfortable with wildfire? What role has indigenous knowledge played in this evolution? What is the fire likely to do in the next month? What can the rest of us learn from our neighbors in the North? This interview sets the context.
Summary
Zeke Lunder and Will Harling discuss the ongoing Butler Fire near Harling’s home, in the Salmon River country of far-NW California. Will highlights the importance of prescribed burns and community collaboration in fire management. Harling describes the historical context of fires in the area, including the 2013 Butler Fire, 2020 Red Salmon Complex, 2023 Pearch Fire, and the 2024 Boise Fire, and how these recent fires affect potential outcomes for this fire.
Will talks about the trust built around local use of prescribed fire with Cal Fire and the Forest Service over 25 years, and how these partnerships have allowed the strategic use of fire to create defensible spaces around River communities. Zeke and Will discuss the benefits of locally-informed decision-making in large fire management.
Will Harling’s Experience with Fire and Fire Management
- Zeke Lunder introduces Will Harling, highlighting his experience with fire and fire management, having been working with prescribed fire, fuels reduction, and watershed restoration for the past 30 years, in the Klamath River country.
- Zeke mentions the millions spent on brochures about ‘Living With Fire’ and suggests sending people to Will for education, instead.
- Will Harling describes the Butler Fire, currently creeping over the ridge above his house and his experience forgetting to pick up his daughter at work due to the fire.
Fire History and Prescribed Burns
- Will explains the how a prescribed burn at his house prevented damage from the 2023 Perch fire.
- He highlights the importance of the All Hands All Lands program, which includes local groups working together to implement grass burns around communities.
- Zeke notes the current good weather window for prescribed fire and the ongoing cultural burning in the area, despite ongoing fires.
Fire Suppression Strategy and Local Team Involvement
- Will explains the National big-picture for Forest Service fire suppression, including the Chief’s Letter of Intent for full suppression of all fires.
- He describes the fire line from Orleans Mountain to Northeimer Campground (red on map, above), which has seen fire from the south but not the north.
- Will mentions that this same fireline has failed to stop fires many times in the past.
- Zeke and Will discuss the historical fire lines and the need to remember which ones haven’t worked out before, and why.
- Will emphasizes the importance of having a local type three team that understands the landscape and has trust with the community.
Benefits of Fire and Community Involvement
- Will discusses the benefits of fire for the landscape, including the resilience of the forest and the potential for beneficial fire management.
- Will notes that the 2025 Butler Fire is already ‘contained’ by other fires that have burned in the past 5 years, and that it won’t become a megafire.
- It is noted that having this fire burn for weeks or months would compromise the main road into this area.
- He highlights the importance of local knowledge and the trust built over 25 years with fire management teams.
- Will mentions that many Forests bring in incident management teams in part, because of the bureaucracy associated with the “strategic alignment planning process”, as fires grow large.
- Will discusses the cultural and tribal aspects of fire management and the importance of respecting both federal and local (unwritten) rules.
- Zeke and Will discuss the future of fire management and the need for common sense solutions that work for the landscape and the people.
- Will mentions the upcoming community burn at his property and the involvement of local fire-qualified folks and volunteers.