Oregon Department of Forestry declares an end to fire season

La Grande, OR--As of 12:01 am, October 12, 2018, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will terminate fire season for forestlands protected by the Northeast Oregon District. This includes over 2 million acres of private, state, county, municipal and tribal lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry. The Northeast Oregon District includes lands in the following counties: Union, Baker, Umatilla, Wallowa and small portions of Grant, Morrow and Malheur counties.

The Northeast Oregon District has responded to a total of 74 fires burning on ODF protected lands in 2018. There have been 34 lightning fires for a total of 1,250 acres. Another 40 fires were human caused and burned a total of 158 acres. This is slightly above the 10-year average for number of fires on the district, however it is below average for the number of acres burned.

“The precipitation we’ve recently received has been a welcome change from the long dry summer. While this precipitation has greatly reduced fire danger in the region, light fuels, such as grass and light brush can dry quickly with warm and windy days. If you are burning debris or slash piles, remember to obtain the necessary permits and follow the smoke management forecast for your area. If weather conditions return to a warmer and drier pattern, we ask that landowners check previously burned piles for lingering heat. These heat sources can cause escaped fires in the right conditions.” Said Matt Howard, Wallowa Unit Forester.

With the termination of fire season, requirements for obtaining a burn permit for residential yard debris burning and burn barrels are no longer in effect. Terminating fire season does not relieve landowners or forest operators of lawful responsibilities concerning the safe burning of debris or slash piles.

Specific Smoke Management/Burning Advisory Information:

• If you are under the protection of a rural or city fire department, please call and ask what their burning restrictions are. Burn permits for burn barrels or small amounts of yard debris are not required on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry. In addition, burning within the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) requires a permit from CTUIR. You must follow all requirements as outlined in the permit.

• Burning slash from forestry and logging activities requires a Notification of Operation/PDM from ODF. In addition to this permit, the local ODF office must be contacted prior to ignition. Before burning in northeast Oregon, it is important to check weather conditions relative to smoke management. For smoke management forecasts call (541)963-9781 or
visit the following website:
http://www.odf.state.or.us/DIVISIONS/protection/fire_protection/Daily/neo.htm.

• Slash burns must be registered with the local ODF office at least 7 days prior to burning
and burning accomplishments must be reported within 7 days following the burn.
The Northeast Oregon District of the Oregon Department of Forestry would like to thank all of our
landowners, forest operators, the public and interagency partners for their efforts in fire prevention,
detection and suppression activities this season.

For further information, call your local ODF office:

La Grande Unit (541)963-3168

Baker City Sub-Unit (541)523-5831

Wallowa Unit (541)886-2881

Pendleton Unit (541)276-3491

To report a fire, call the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center at (541)963-7171, or dial 9-1-1.

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BMIDC Morning Briefing, Wednesday, October 10th, 2018

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Wednesday, October 10th,  2018
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	0	0
INCIDENT SUMMARY
10/9 Fire Activity:  Example OR-WWF-000206, East Pine.  BPFZ.  T7S R46E Sec 16 NESW.  Fish Lake Road Area.  6 Miles North of Halfway, OR.  1.3 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Grass and Timber.

Public Use Restrictions lifted on the Umatilla National Forest

PENDLETON, Ore. – Effective 12:01 am on Oct. 9, 2018, the Umatilla National Forest will lift all public use restrictions pertaining to recreational chainsaw use, smoking, and off-road travel.

Seasonal campfire restrictions will remain in place until Oct. 31, 2018; however these campfire restrictions do not apply to designated Wilderness areas and specified exempted developed recreation sites (see forest website for exempted sites or areas). 

“The intent is to allow recreational users to enjoy campfires on their public lands in a responsible way, which means practicing safe campfire techniques that, in the long run, will protect lives, property, and our natural landscapes,” said Brian Ebert, Umatilla Deputy Fire Management Officer. 

Seasonal campfire restrictions require visitors to build their campfire in a fire pit surrounded by dirt, rock, or commercial rings, in areas cleared of all flammable material within a three-foot radius from the edge of the pit and free of overhanging material. Campfires must be attended at all times and a shovel and one gallon of water are required to be in your possession while building and tending campfires.  These requirements also apply to the use of charcoal briquettes.

Additionally, portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled gas and wood burning stoves equipped with a chimney that is at least five (5) feet in length with a spark-arresting screen consisting of ¼ inch mesh hardware cloth are allowed.

Forest visitors are urged to use caution when building and tending campfires, cooking fires, and fires in wood stoves.  Forest officials recommend the following campfire safety precautions:

·       Always abide by local campfire laws.

·       Only adults should build and maintain campfires.

·       Find a shady spot away from dry logs, overhanging branches, bushes, needles, or leaves.

·       Use existing fire-rings where it is safe to do so. Don’t build fire-rings in roads.

·       Keep campfire rings small and use wood no bigger than the ring.

·       Keep tents and other burnable materials away from the fire.

·       Never leave a campfire unattended. Those leaving campfires unattended can be billed for the cost of fire suppression.

·       Drown the campfire with water and stir charred material.

·       When leaving, make sure your fire is DEAD OUT. Very carefully feel all sticks and charred remains. Make sure no roots are smoldering. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave.

Please check with your local Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) office for public use restrictions on lands protected by ODF.  Visit the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch webpage at: www.bmidc.org or contact a local ODF office for more complete information.  Similar restrictions may be in effect on State and private lands protected by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WA-DNR).  More information can be found on the WA-DNR website at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/.  

The public is responsible for knowing if restrictions are in place and can obtain information by contacting the Umatilla National Forest through one of the below methods. 

Umatilla National Forest:

Information Hotline: Toll-Free (877) 958-9663

www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla

www.facebook.com/UmatillaNF

Twitter: @UmatillaNF

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BMIDC Morning Briefing, Tuesday, October 9th, 2018

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Tuesday, October 9th,  2018
Umatilla National Forest	1	.1
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	1	.1
INCIDENT SUMMARY
10/8 Fire Activity:  OR-UMF-001164, Inc. 1164.  NFJD.  T6S R33E Sec 18 NWNE.  Hello Bay Spring Area.  9 Miles SE of Ukiah, OR.  Human Caused.  ODF Nonstat Fire. Example OR-WWF-000206, East Pine.  BPFZ.  T7S R46E Sec 16 NESW.  Fish Lake Road Area.  6 Miles North of Halfway, OR.  1.3 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Grass and Timber.

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Monday, October 8th,  2018
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	2	.2
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	2	.2
INCIDENT SUMMARY
10/7 Fire Activity:  OR-974-001155, Snag Fire, Wal ODF, WAL ODF, T2N R45E Sec 31 SENE,  .1  Acres Elk Mountain Area, 13 Miles North of Enterprise,  Human Caused.  Contained 10/7.  OR-971-001158, Little Creek Falls. LGD ODF, T4S R41E Sec 18 SWNW   .1 Acres.  Human Caused.  Contained 10/7.  Example OR-WWF-000206, East Pine.  BPFZ.  T7S R46E Sec 16 NESW.  Fish Lake Road Area.  6 Miles North of Halfway, OR.  1.3 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Grass and Timber.

BMIDC Morning Briefing,Sunday, October 7th, 2018

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Monday, October 8th,  2018
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	2	.2
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	2	.2
INCIDENT SUMMARY
10/7 Fire Activity:  OR-974-001155, Snag Fire, Wal ODF, WAL ODF, T2N R45E Sec 31 SENE,  .1  Acres Elk Mountain Area, 13 Miles North of Enterprise,  Human Caused.  Contained 10/7.  OR-971-001158, Little Creek Falls. LGD ODF, T4S R41E Sec 18 SWNW   .1 Acres.  Human Caused.  Contained 10/7.  Example OR-WWF-000206, East Pine.  BPFZ.  T7S R46E Sec 16 NESW.  Fish Lake Road Area.  6 Miles North of Halfway, OR.  1.3 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Grass and Timber.

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING, Wednesday, October 5th, 2018

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Wednesday, October 5th,  2018
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	0	0
INCIDENT SUMMARY
10/4 Fire Activity:  No new wildfires to report. Example OR-WWF-000206, East Pine.  BPFZ.  T7S R46E Sec 16 NESW.  Fish Lake Road Area.  6 Miles North of Halfway, OR.  1.3 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Grass and Timber.

Fire season still in effect, some additional restrictions ease

La Grande, OR—A more traditional fall weather pattern has settled in over the region, but fire danger is still a concern for ODF fire managers. Fire season will remain in effect until adequate amounts of precipitation warrant an end to the fire season. ODF’s additional public use restrictions are terminated as of 12:01 a.m., October 5, 2018. General fire season restrictions mean that burn permits are required for all open fires (except campfires), debris burns and burn barrels. ODF will still need to issue a burn permit for all open burns or burn barrels within the protection district until fire season is terminated. Camp fires are allowed with landowner permission.

“While fall is definitely in the air, we need people to still use extreme caution when they’re out and about. Conditions can change rapidly on a warm or windy day, especially in the lighter fuels and lower elevations. Make sure all fires are dead out and cool before leaving the area. This is when we see our human caused fire numbers really climb.” said Logan McCrae, La Grande Unit Forester.

This year, humans have caused 40 fires on the Northeast Oregon District. These fires have totaled over 185 acres burned.

Restrictions including the use of chainsaws, mowing, or cutting, welding and grinding have been terminated. It is important to remember the use of exploding targets, as well as tracer ammunition or any bullet with a pyrotechnic charge are prohibited during fire season. The use of sky lanterns is prohibited throughout the year in Oregon.

The Northeast Oregon District includes private, state, county, municipal and tribal lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry in seven counties: Union, Baker, Wallowa, Umatilla, and small portions of Malheur, Morrow and Grant.

To report a fire, call Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch at (541)963-7171 or dial 9-1-1.

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BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Wednesday, October4th,  2018
Umatilla National Forest	1	0.1
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	1	0.11
INCIDENT SUMMARY
10/3 Fire Activity:  OR-UMF-001143, Spout. WWRD, T3N R38E Sec 9 NESE, Spout Springs Area, 15 Miles, 0.1 acres, Human Caused. Grass. Example OR-WWF-000206, East Pine.  BPFZ.  T7S R46E Sec 16 NESW.  Fish Lake Road Area.  6 Miles North of Halfway, OR.  1.3 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Grass and Timber.