OR Dept. of Forestry release – Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada — The Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement (NW Compact) is excited to announce the addition of the State of Hawaii as its newest member. The NW Compact was created in 1998 and is one of eight forest fire fighting Compacts currently operating across North America. The purpose of the NW Compact is to promote effective prevention, suppression, and control of forest fires in the Northwest wildland region of the United States and Western areas of Canada. It provides an efficient way for member states, provinces, and territories to cope with wildland fires that might be beyond the capabilities of a single member agency, through information sharing, technology and resource distribution. The NW Compact is operated by member states, provinces and territories, who include: Alberta; Yukon Territory; Saskatchewan; Northwest Territories; British Columbia; Alaska; Idaho; Washington; Oregon; Montana; and now, Hawaii. Despite being a sub-tropical island chain with lush tropical forests, wildfire in the State of Hawaii is an increasing problem, especially with climate change affecting temperatures, rainfall patterns and extreme events like the powerful winds that led to the catastrophic fires in August 2023. In Hawaii, the proportion of land area burnt on an annual basis is comparable to that in western states. Hawaii also has a unique biota that evolved without the frequent occurrence of wildfire, which today is often fueled by land use changes and introduction of invasive species. The compact will be another way for Hawaii to address this increasing threat to its environment and communities. Hawaii’s decision to join the NW compact was due to the need for additional firefighting resources in the state. The compact enables the exchange of resources with other compact members to improve wildfire response capacity in Hawaii. It will allow Hawaii-based wildland firefighters to gain experience by assisting with wildland firefighting efforts on the North American continent while also allowing the state to call on assistance from other members in the compact, thereby benefiting all compact members.
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