Skookum Fire currently burning on the Heppner Ranger District

PENDLETON, Ore. – Forest staff on the Heppner Ranger District discovered the Skookum fire on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019, located approximately one mile northwest of the Alder Creek/Skookum Trailhead and two miles northeast of the Tupper Guard Station. The 17-acre fire is creeping and smoldering in a mixture of grass, brush, timber and snags (dead or burned trees). Given the time of year, hazards within the fire area, minimal fire behavior and favorable weather conditions, firefighters will patrol and monitor the fire over the next several days, allowing the fire to reduce fuel loadings and contribute to a more resilient landscape.

The suppression strategy for the Skookum fire will aim to reduce overstocked and hazardous fuel conditions in the area, restore forest health and resilience, reduce current and future firefighter exposure and improve foraging habitat for big game.  The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

The public is asked to use caution when entering the area and be aware of increased hazards, particularly snags and smoky conditions. Smoke may be visible from Highway 207. Additionally, the Heppner Ranger District is actively implementing prescribed pile burning and forest visitors could see smoke in other portions of the district.

Forest officials ask that visitors do not camp or hang out in a burned area. Dead or dying trees that remain standing after a fire are unstable, especially in high winds. Loose rocks and logs can be present in a burned area and are unpredictable, creating a falling a hazard. Additionally, burned vegetation can also contribute to landslides, mudslides and erosion when rain occurs. The ground in a burned area can also be unstable, due to burned-out roots beneath the surface.  After soils and vegetation have been charred, rainfall that would normally be absorbed could run off extremely quickly.

The latest fire information will be posted on the Blue Mountains Fire Information Blog. To receive updates on fires in the Blue Mountains, follow our blog at http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/.

For more information about prescribed burning on the Umatilla National Forest, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/y8b433th.

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