While the May rains delayed the early drying of fuels
in Northeast Oregon, fire managers are concerned about the warm, dry, and windy
weather that we have been experiencing.
This concern has prompted officials with Oregon Department of Forestry
(ODF) to declare FIRE SEASON beginning at 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, June 16 for
forest and range lands protected by ODF Northeast Oregon District. “The warming and drying trend that we are
seeing now, along with the windy conditions across much of the area, will lead
to quickly drying fuels. We want to make
sure that we are prepared with the prevention measures that help us to minimize
human-caused fire starts.” Steve Meyer,
Unit Forester for La Grande and Baker said.
A fire season declaration places fire prevention restrictions on
landowners and public. Additionally,
fire prevention regulations on industrial logging and forest management
activities are put into place. Lands
affected include private, state, county, municipal, and tribal lands in Union,
Baker, Wallowa, and Umatilla counties along with small portions of Malheur,
Morrow and Grant counties within the Northeast Oregon Forest Protection
District. This area encompasses
approximately 2 million protected acres.
Landowners and recreationists are urged to use caution in areas of dry,
cured vegetation. Meyer states “We
didn’t receive the snowpack that we generally count on in the area. Because of this, this year may be a busy year
for firefighters. We are asking that the
folks that live, work, and play in the forest to use caution and good
prevention measures this summer.”
During Fire Season:
·
Burn Permits for
burn barrels and all open burning except camp fires are required on all private
forest and range lands within the Northeast Forest Protection District of the Oregon
Department of Forestry (ODF). Contact
your local ODF office in La Grande, Baker City, Wallowa, or Pendleton to
acquire a Burn Permit.
·
Landowners who
conducted burning of slash piles last fall and this past spring are encouraged
to check the piles to ensure that they are completely out and all heat is gone. It is not uncommon for recently burned slash
piles to retain heat in them for several months after the actual burning of the
piles.
·
Logging and other
industrial operations must meet requirements for fire prevention, such as fire
tools, water supply, and watchman service when those operations are occurring
on lands protected by ODF. Contact your
local Stewardship Forester at any ODF office for more information.
·
Campfires must be
DEAD OUT! Recreationists are reminded
that campfires need to be attended and fully extinguished before being left. Get permission from the landowner prior
to starting a campfire.
The extended forecast for Northeast Oregon calls for warm
temperatures with little chance for precipitation for the next few days.
For further information, contact the Oregon
Department of Forestry at these local offices:
La
Grande Unit (541)
963-3168
Wallowa
Unit (541) 886-2881
Pendleton
Unit (541) 276-3491
To report a fire, dial 9-1-1.
For information on the weekends call:
Blue
Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center La
Grande (541)
963-7171
Visit our website at http://www.oregon.gov/odf/northeastoregon/Pages/index.aspx
or contact a local Oregon Department of Forestry office for more complete
information on ODF Restrictions.
Please check with your local Forest Service office
for fire regulations on National Forest land. Information on Public-Use Restrictions on the
Oregon Department of Forestry, Umatilla National Forest and Wallowa Whitman
National Forest can be found at http://bmidc.org/index.shtml
under Current Information: Fire Restrictions.
http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/
is your spot for current fire information
in the Blue Mountains.
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