06.14.2021 News Release: Prescribed Fire Operations Update
Prescribed Fire Projects 2021
Publication Type:
News
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John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (June 14, 2021) After carefully monitoring conditions across the Forest, fire officials have determined that conditions are within specific parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture to start prescribed fire operations in specifically planned units.
· Blue Mountain Ranger District– crews are planning on possible ignitions on Soda Bear 4a and b (ground ignition up to 1600 acres) Tuesday, June 15 with potential to also begin ignitions in Starr units 6 & 7, 644 acres.
· Emigrant Creek Ranger District – will have less than 1 acre of ignition in Marshall Devine (MD) B as part of the guard school/rookie training on Thursday, June 17. No plans at this time for ignitions in the Silvies 7 unit this week.
· Prairie City Ranger District – will be burning 1-2 acres in Merit 8 for Prairie City’s guard school/rookie training just west of Logan Valley, Thursday, June 17.
For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead, for their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity.
Spring operations reduce surface fuels, increase height of some canopy, reduce small tree densities, and help promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from wildfire. Additionally, these prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat, promote long-term ecosystem integrity and sustainability by reducing the risk of high-severity wildland fire.
All prescribed burn activity is weather and condition dependent.
With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in our area and across the state by visiting, http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.
Additional information regarding prescribed burning on the Malheur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ or by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map at USFS R6 Tri-Forest Prescribed Fire Map. For further information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.
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