Page 14 — Agriculture 2015, The Chronicle, Omak, Wash.
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Flames crest a hill above an orchard near Brewster on July 17. Barely visible through the smoke are trellises for the trees.
Fire from 13 County Horticulture Association Secretary Dan McCarthy said. In areas with damage, some fruit was lost but in others the trees greened up again and by harvest, the damage was negligible, he said. Some orchardists may see crop reductions for a couple years as their trees recover. McCarthy said deer damage “could be a problem” because both deer fencing and forage were lost. Damaged and destroyed fencing alone ranges in the millions of dollars in the fire area. The Okanogan Conservation District has reports of 23.5 miles of deer fencing lost, at a replacement cost of $47,731. That’s a total value of nearly $1.12 million. Deer fencing, often 10 feet tall, is made of wire mesh and is designed to keep deer from getting into orchards and nibbling on trees and fruit. Another 376 miles of perimeter fencing – designed to keep cattle inside specific property boundaries – was destroyed or damaged. That “inclusion fencing” will cost more than $7.7 million to replace, district Conservation Planner Terri Williams said. The agency also has reports of 46 miles of exclusion fencing, designed to keep open-range cattle out of areas, and seven miles of fencing to keep stock out of critical areas, such as streams. Those losses total $952,000 and
$150,000, respectively. Other losses reported to the district include $27,000 worth of water piping and tanks, $38,000 in irrigation lines and sprinklers and $7,000 in irrigation pumps. And those numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, since the agency estimates it has received reports from just 10 percent of the landowners who suffered losses in the fire, she said. Much of the fencing isn’t covered by insurance. Some can be repaired, but landowners are finding that some fencing they previously believed was repairable actually was so damaged by heat that it breaks apart. The district has requested state funding to help farmers and ranchers rebuild fencing, but it’s not yet known whether the Legislature will include money in the budget. Another concern for the agricultural community – and others – is stability of fire-damaged soil. The district is trying to get funding for planning and multiagency coordination, and also to reseed and replant fire-scarred areas. Of particular concern are the Chiliwist and Benson Creek areas, which were hit by flooding in August as a storm settled over the fire area. Slopes in those areas remain unstable and the conservation district is looking at reseeding upper elevations, especially in the Chiliwist. “Vegetation is hugely
important,” Williams said, adding that people should be aware that some areas will remain unstable for three years or so. The district is working with several other agencies, including the Okanogan County Noxious Weed Control Board. Areas where the soil has been disturbed by fire, fire line building and heavy
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