Forest Service Road 4713 to reopen on the Pomeroy Ranger District

 PENDLETON, Ore. (October 20, 2021) —Based on assessments of road conditions and slope stability following recent rainfall, Umatilla National Forest officials will reopen Forest Service Road (FSR) 4713 on the Pomeroy Ranger District on Friday, Oct. 22. 

The remaining road closures are in effect to protect public and firefighter safety. Hazards along the closed roads include burned or dead trees, erosion, unstable road or trail surfaces, uncontained fireline and ongoing suppression operations (such as the presence of firefighting resources or large equipment). Public entry is prohibited on the roads as identified in the closure and described below.

• Forest Service Roads (FSR) 4712: all vehicles greater than 50-inches in width are prohibited from traveling on any part of FSR 4712. (4.3 miles)
• All vehicles are prohibited from traveling on portions of or all the following roads:
• FSR 44 (3.9 miles)
• FSR 41 (5.6 miles)
• FSR 4206 (6.7 miles)

Detailed maps describing the updated road closures is available at the end of this news release, on the Forest website and at any Forest office. Closure barriers and signs will be posted on the ground. 

With much of the fire footprints open, forest visitors should be cautious when entering any recently burned area and be aware of increased hazards, particularly snags (which are recently burned or dead trees). The Green Ridge Fire still has uncontained fireline on the southern edge and the public is encouraged to avoid that area. Forest officials ask that visitors do not camp or linger 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 soil. Even areas that have no visible fire and that appear cool can still have hot ash pits below the surface.  After soils and vegetation have been charred, rainfall that would normally be absorbed could run off extremely quickly.

Forest visitors may also encounter firefighter traffic, downed trees in roadways, dusty roads and areas of smoke. Please be alert when traveling on the Forest. 

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/.  

Additional information about the Umatilla National Forest is available at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla. 

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