Oregon Department of
Forestry
Union County Emergency
Services
Union County Fire
Defense Board
For
Immediate Release: August 26, 2015
La Grande, OR: Union County fire managers are understandably
weary as hunting seasons in Northeast Oregon are about to begin. Fire season around the region has brought
more fires and more acres burnt in 2015 than the 10 year average. Typically, hunting seasons are a time when
human caused fires increase significantly.
Cool evenings and mornings can make a campfire appealing to campers and
hunters. Increased off-road travel is
also a factor in these fire starts.
Firefighting
resources are extremely spread thin throughout the region, fire managers are
urging those headed out to hunt, camp or use off-road vehicles to use extreme
caution and double check restrictions before they leave town.
“It’s a good
idea to check with the individual landowners before you head out. ODF has restrictions in place, but often
times, landowners will have more stringent regulations of their own.” Said Mitch Williams, acting Unit Forester,
Oregon Department of Forestry.
On lands
protected by Oregon Department of Forestry, restrictions are already in place
to help prevent human caused wildfires.
These restrictions include but are not limited to:
ü
No open fires including campfires
ü
No debris burning including burn barrels
ü
Non-industrial chainsaw use is prohibited between
10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
ü
No smoking while traveling, except in vehicles
on improved roads, in boats on the water, or in a cleared area
ü
No use of off-road vehicles except on improved
roads
ü
Cutting, grinding and welding is prohibited
between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
ü
No mowing of cured grass with power driven
machinery
ü
No fireworks
Additionally,
tracer ammunition, exploding targets and sky lanterns are prohibited on lands
protected by ODF during fire season. Campfires are currently prohibited on all
lands protected by ODF and USFS.
“We’re not
asking people to not enjoy their outings,” Said Larry Wooldridge, Union County
Fire Chief. “We’re merely asking for
some help for the fire crews that have been going hard for the past few weeks. Even with some moisture in the forecast, fire
danger will remain high going into the fall.”
Year to date fire information for
lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry Northeast Oregon District:
Lightning
Caused: 43 Acres Burned:
23,802
Human
Caused: 21 Acres Burned:
23,170
People
looking to head into the woods are reminded that not only are there Regulated
Use Restrictions on lands protected by ODF, but that Public Use Restrictions
are in place on National Forest and Bureau of Land Management managed lands. Check all fire restrictions before heading
out.
Additional
fire information for incidents in the Blue Mountain Region can be found at:
Oregon smoke
condition information is available at http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
To report a
fire, please call Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch at (541)963-7171 or call
9-1-1
###
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