Single Publication

Malheur National Forest Fire Staff Work to Plan Fall Prescribed Burning

John Day, Hines, and Prairie City, OR. — (September 28, 2021) Due to favorable weather conditions, the Malheur National Forest may begin Fall Prescribed Burning beginning Thursday, September 30, 2021.

Frequent, low-intensity fire is essential for healthy forests and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire caused by excessive fuel buildup. Prescribed burning is an effective tool for removing excessive amounts of brush, shrubs, and trees, while also encouraging the growth of native vegetation. It is only conducted when factors such as resource availability, air quality, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and fuel moisture levels are ideal. All burns are done under carefully planned prescriptions and protocols to eliminate the risk of an escaped fire and smoke exposure to communities.

The Forest Service recognizes that hunting season coincides with prescribed burning season and can impact hunters, but controlled burns are necessary to reintroduce fire to the landscape and encourage healthy vegetation that will ultimately improve landscapes and forage for big game. Hunters should be cautious when entering a recently burned area and be aware of increased hazards, particularly snags. Dead or dying trees that remain standing after a fire are unstable, especially in high winds. Don’t camp or hang out in the burned area. And, as always, let someone know your planned route, destination and expected return time.

Burning may take place at:
• Wolf F, 4300 acres, is located in the Magpie Table area.
• Silvies 3, 5000 acres, is located south of Gold Hill to National Forest Road 31.
• Silvies 7, 3000 acres, is located south of the Silvies River and west of National Forest Road 31.
• Murderers Creek 11, 2450 acres, boundary roads, North, National Forest Road 2150, East, National Forest Road 2170917, South, National Forest Road 2170 and West, National Forest Road 2150047.

Since prescribed burn operations are planned in advance, they have critical safety components in place and are carefully designed to occur within a combination of natural and constructed control lines.

With the potential for smoke to settle in certain areas during active operations the public can monitor our smoke and air quality and across the state by visiting: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com and Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7426/ Facebook @MalheurNationalForest, Twitter @MalheurNF,

For more information please call: 541-575-3000

For current Public Use Restrictions and Industrial Fire Precaution Levels call: 541-575-3113.

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 by viewing the Prescribed Fire Activity interactive map, by visiting www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000.