Forest fire threatens Willapa Bay island

Published 5:00 pm Monday, September 10, 2012

    LEADBETTER POINT Grassy Island, an uninhabited and largely forgotten island just east of the northern tip of Leadbetter Point on the Long Beach Peninsula, generated attention with a smoky fire Friday night.

    A prompt response and moist weather combined to contain the potentially dangerous blaze, which is considered to be suspicious and human-caused.

    Jackie Ferrier of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, which manages the island, said Tuesday that the fire area is 3 acres. Fish and Wildlife, their fire management zone officers and the Department of Natural Resources worked to contain the fire over the weekend. While it is now 100 percent contained, they were still out there Tuesday mopping it up. She expects to receive a report from fire investigators in a couple weeks.

    Washington Department of Natural Resources has done a great job with the fire response and their fire crews have done a fantastic job they deserve kudos, Ferrier said.

    According to the wildlife refuges fire management plan, the Leadbetter Unit has several hundred acres of young to mature lodgepole pine (shore pine), including on Grassy Island. The oldest lodgepole pine trees are about 80 years old, although most of the lodgepole pine on the refuge is much younger than 80 years.

    Natural-caused fires are said to be infrequent in the maritime climate of lodgepole pine, but there was a significant fire on the island in July 2006 that scorched about 50 acres. The refuge notes that human-caused fires can be much more frequent in lodgepole pine due to public use occurring in and near this forest type. The 2006 fire was believed at the time to have been human caused. At the time of the last fire, two helicopters were called in to drop water on the island.

    Grassy Island is primarily accessible by boat from the bay; although it can be reached by vehicle or foot from the peninsula via a low-lying landbridge. No residences are closer than a mile from Leadbetter Points southern boundary.

    Grassy Island is a sanctuary for an enormous number of seabirds of many species.