Special Statement
NWS Heat Advisory: Heat advisory remains in effect from noon Friday to 9 PM MDT Saturday 

Fire
There are multiple fires affecting the forecast area, including smoke transport from SW Oregon and 
N California. For more information on Limepoint-Cliff Mountain wildfire incidents, please visit 
Inciweb (https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idpaf- limepoint-fire)

Smoke
The high pressure system that has settled over the northwest will remain in place until midweek 
next. As a result, temperatures will remain high with increased drying lending to greater chances 
of increased fire activity, hence smoke increases. Offsetting this possible increased smoke 
production is an unstable atmosphere allowing for latent smoke near the ground to lift into the 
upper atmosphere, moving smoke out of this region via upper level transport winds. All communities 
in this Smoke Outlook should experience MODERATE conditions throughout the day with possible USG. 
Garden Valley and Idaho City may see a spike in smoke activity around noon, while McCall and 
Grangeville could experience higher smoke production in the late afternoon and early evening due to 
smoke from local fires.
 

Daily Evening Update for the Park Fire, Thursday, 08-01-2024. 

The current acreage as of 5:00 pm on August 1, 2024 is 393,012 total: 

• Butte County: 52,999 acres 

• Tehama County: 340,013 acres 

CAL FIRE: Fire activity will continue into overnight hours with potential of spotting and moderate fire behavior. Heavy fuels continue to exhibit near record-level low moistures and are very receptive to fire. The potential of thunderstorms nearby can cause outflow winds, with the potential for erratic fire behavior.                          

The primary carrier of this fire are the annual grasses and brush, with mixed timber. Fire in deep drainages, lava rock, and heavy fuels continue to make suppression difficult. Fixed wing aircraft have been prevented from operating in some drainages due to limited visibility from the thick smoke. Crews continue to build containment lines and conduct structure defense in affected areas. 

Lassen National Forest: As of 5:00 pm on August 1, 2024 the total Forest Service acres involved in the Park Fire is 92,435. The remaining 300,578 acres are on state and private lands. The Park Fire is extensive and has impacted a variety of vegetation and ecosystems. The fire, which originated in lower elevations with thick grass and oak trees, burned rapidly. As the fire progresses towards Lassen National Forest the elevation increases, leading to a change in vegetation with a higher concentration of trees and brush. This change requires different firefighting tactics and tools.  

Damage Inspection Teams are at 88% completion of their assessments. These numbers are updated twice daily. 

Between both counties, there are *540 destroyed structures and *50 damaged structures. *The total number destroyed and damaged includes infrastructure. 

Butte County 

• No damage: 864 (Residential, Comm, Minor, other structures) 

• Damaged: 45 (Residential, Comm, Minor, other structures) 

• Destroyed: 411 (Residential, Comm, Minor, other structures)  

Tehama County 

• No damage: 246 (Residential, Comm, Minor, other structures) 

• Damaged: 5 (Residential, Comm, Minor, other structures) 

• Destroyed: 129 (Residential, Comm, Minor, other structures) 

For more information, please visit: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2024/7/24/park-fire  

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:

Public Information Officer, 970-823-4060

New Fire Start - Bucktail

Nucla, Colorado, August 1, 2024

Name: Bucktail

Location: Approximately six miles northeast of Nucla, CO

Size: Approximately 1,760 acres (MMA mapped)

Cause: Unknown

Jurisdiction: Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Forest Service (USFS).

Containment: 0%

Threatened Structures: 0

At approximately 1120 a.m. Thursday, August 1, the Bucktail Fire was reported on private land in the Bucktail drainage, about 6.5 miles northeast of Nucla near County Road 25. The fire quickly spread onto BLM and later USFS ownerships. The fire was mapped by the DFPC Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) at 1,760 acres size burning in pinyon pine, juniper and oak brush. It has a very high spread potential and is exhibiting extreme fire behavior. This is a slope and fuel-driven fire. Multiple firefighting resources aggressively responded including eleven aircraft including one very large, four large, and four single-engine air tankers, two helicopters; five engines including one from Telluride and one from the Nucla Naturita Fire Department, one 16-person Job Corp Buzzard Creek hand crew, and Montrose County dozers. Fire managers are on scene. The fire is zero percent contained. Two more hand crews are en route.

Smoke may be visible in the area for the next several days. Zero structures are threatened. The County Road 25 Mesa is now closed due to emergency operations on the Bucktail Fire. The closure extends from the 25 Mesa/Divide Road intersection to where the pavement starts on 25 Mesa outside of Nucla (https://www.facebook.com/MontroseCountySO). In the interest of public safety, fire officials ask visitors to be aware of fire traffic and avoid the area. Firefighter and public safety are the priorities for this incident.

Fire managers would like to remind forest users to continue to be attentive of their actions and surroundings, especially in areas with dry vegetation or dead/down trees. Practice smart wildfire prevention behavior, including never leaving a campfire unattended, using established campfire rings, picking safe and proper campfire sites, and ensuring that their fires are completely out and cool to the touch by using the drown, stir and feel method.

For additional information:

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/coupd-bucktail-fire

Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control: https://dfpc.colorado.gov

Bureau of Land Management Southwest Colorado District, Uncompahgre Field Office: https://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests Fire Information Hotline: (970) 874-6602

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests website: www.fs.usda.gov/gmug

West Slope Fire Information website: www.WestSlopeFireInfo.com

GMUG Fire Info Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GMUGFireInfo 

Twitter: https://x.com/GMUG_NF

Pomeroy, WA: The Lower Granite Fire started about 11:42am on July 29th, 2024. 

Today at 8:00 am fire evacuation levels were downgraded to level 1. 

Fire Actively: Crews worked overnight and throughout the day on the south flank on Wawawai Grade Road, and along the south flank on Kirby-Mayview Road trailing along the fire line 100 feet and checking structures for continued heat 300 feet round the perimeters. 

Around 1 pm this afternoon, fire crews reported increased fire activity in the canyon between the Uplands and Snake River area. Smoke was visible as fire crews engaged these flareups with in the canyon. Aviation assets performed water drops, as hand crews and water tankers monitored, and secured the perimeter preventing embers from breaching the Uplands plain.  Crews will monitor the canyon overnight for hotspots and flare ups. Additionally, hand crews equipped with Infrared technology will check the containment line for active hotspots. Infrared scans performed last night indicated a significant decrease in hotspot activity leading to an increase in the overall fire containment. 

  Current evacuations are updated on the Garfield County Sheriff's Facebook page at:

  https://www.facebook.com/GarfieldCountySheriff

Currant Creek Fire Update

August 1, 2024

Size: 193 Acres

Containment: 56%

Thanks to the hard work of firefighters, the Currant Creek Fire is now 56% contained. Fire behavior was minimal today despite high temperatures and low humidity. The crews’ main focus was “cold trailing” the perimeter of the fire. Cold trailing is a method of assessing a partly-dead fire edge by carefully inspecting and feeling with the hand for heat to detect any fire. It can be tedious and time-consuming but it ensures the fire edge is dead cold and it is a vital part of the mop-up process. This informs fire managers about which edges of the fire need more work and which portions of the fire can be declared contained. While crews worked on cold trailing, the bulldozer operator completed the last portions of dozer line on the eastern edge of the fire near where the flare-up occurred on Tuesday night and a second dozer made significant improvements for containment in the Dry Creek drainage area.

Due to increasing stability of the incident and good progress being made towards containment, these descriptive updates will now be released on an as-needed basis. In this case, no news will be good news. We will try and provide an update when there is significant progress. No update means mop-up is going as planned and there is no significant activity on the fire. The Currant Creek Fire Inciweb page will continue to be updated regularly with the most up to date fire information. If there are any critical events or a significant increase in fire activity, a message will be released as soon as possible.

All of the agencies and personnel involved with this fire response would like to thank the Delta County community for their support during the past week. For some of you, firefighters have taken over your favorite park, which made it necessary to relocate a planned event; but fire crews are extremely grateful for the support of the Orchard City and Cedaredge communities during this fire. Other residents have endured emergency vehicles driving up and down your roads daily. However you might have been impacted, your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated!

Due to high temperatures, low humidity and extremely dry fuels, fire danger is extreme right now across Colorado as is evident by the large wildfires burning across the state. Delta County is under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions and many other local jurisdictions are entering fire restrictions also. Please #KnowBeforeYouGo and check fire restrictions at the West Slope Fire Info website before heading out to camp or recreate.

Preparedness: It’s never too late to prepare and plan for the possibility of being impacted by wildfires. This includes having evacuation plans for yourself, your family, and your animals, having a “go-bag” ready, performing wildfire mitigation on and around your home, and even having a plan for creating clean indoor air when smoke gets thick outside. It’s also important to sign up for alerts, so you can immediately be notified if there is a fire or other emergency happening in your area. Visit DeltaCountyCO.gov/Alerts to sign up or learn more about Emergency Alerts in Delta County. For resources on planning for wildfire, visit ready.gov/wildfires.

Closures: Currant Creek Road remains closed to the public at the intersection with Cactus Park Road. Only residents on the lower portions of Currant Creek Road, south of the fire, will be permitted past the road closure. We ask that non-residents or anyone wanting to look at the fire please avoid the area. We need to maintain a clear access road for firefighter safety. An announcement will be made when the closure is lifted.

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Understanding Soil Burn Severity

We tend to think of wildfire burn severity in terms of the visual impacts to above-ground vegetation, but the post-fire landscape response (erosion, flooding, and mass movement) is generally more strongly correlated to soil burn severity. When characterizing soil burn severity, looking at the vegetation is a good starting place to understand the conditions on the ground. 

Armed with that information, the BAER team’s watershed specialists (soil scientists, hydrologists, and geologists) ground-truth different vegetation burn intensities to tease out patterns of how fire affected and changed the properties of the soil.  Pre-fire ground cover, forest type, fire behavior, slope, aspect, and other factors all influence soil burn severity.  After field observations are collected, specialists adjust the vegetation severity map to create the soil burn severity (SBS) map.  The SBS is broken into four different classes: unburned (green), low severity (blue), moderate severity (yellow), and high severity (red). 

So, what do these different classifications mean?

LOW severity areas generally have intact and recognizable litter layers (organic material on the forest floor, such as pine needles and twigs).  These litter layers may be charred but are not consumed.  Underlying topsoil is intact, and near-surface fine roots are unburned.  These soils have enough cover to protect them from erosion during rain events because their natural porosity and structure allow rain to soak into the soil instead of running off, while fine roots provide stability.  In low severity areas, burns may have been patchy islands of green vegetation and intact canopies may be present.  

MODERATE severity areas generally have more—up to 80% of their pre-fire surface litter layers consumed by fire.  Black or gray ash may be present on the soil surface. Fine roots near the surface may be scorched and killed.  Topsoil layers are generally intact with minimal impacts to the soil’s ability to absorb moisture. Soils with moderate severity are more susceptible to erosion in post-fire rain events because they have lost protective surface cover and may have less surface stability because of root mortality. 

HIGH severity areas generally have had all their pre-fire surface litter layers consumed by fire.  White or gray ash may be present on the soil surface. Fine roots are often fully burned/consumed within several inches of the soil surface, and even large tree roots may have burned deep into the soil.  Soil may be powdery or grainy and loose, unable to bind together and retain water. These soils are very susceptible to erosion and often have high surface run-off during rainstorms.

So, what does the BAER team do with the SBS map?

The BAER team uses the SBS map to make predictions about how the landscape will respond after fires. Soil scientists consider where soil productivity will be degraded due to erosion losses and where sediment may move into stream channels. Hydrologists use the SBS to predict watershed response—surface runoff from high SBS areas in rainstorms can produce more “flashy” behavior in stream systems.  Geologists use the SBS to inform predictions for debris flow or other mass movement potential based on reduced soil stability in steep drainages.

BAER teams focus on emergency responses to stabilize burned areas that may impact Forest Service critical infrastructure or other values located within or immediately downstream of high soil burn severity areas. 

BAER SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events--be prepared to act. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at National Weather Service website: www.weather.gov/lox/.

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Limitations

While many wildfires cause minimal damage to the land and pose few threats to the land or people downstream, some fires result in damage that requires special efforts to reduce impacts afterwards. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; water run-off may increase and cause flooding, soil and rock may move downstream and damage property or fill reservoirs putting community water supplies and endangered species at-risk.

The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program is designed to identify and manage potential risks to resources on National Forest System lands and reduce these threats through appropriate emergency measures to protect human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. BAER is an emergency program for stabilization work that involves time-critical activities to be completed before the first damaging storm event to meet program objectives.

BAER Objectives:

• Determine whether imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands exist and take immediate actions, as appropriate, to manage the unacceptable risks.
• If emergency conditions are identified, mitigate significant threats to human life and safety, Forest Service property and other critical natural and cultural resource values.
• Prescribe emergency response actions to stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to natural and cultural resources, to minimize threats to life or property resulting from the effects of a fire, or to repair/replace/construct physical improvements necessary to prevent degradation of land or resources.
• Implement emergency response actions to help stabilize soil; control water, sediment and debris movement and potentially reduce threats to the BAER critical values identified above when an analysis shows that planned actions are likely to reduce risks substantially within the first year following containment of the fire.
• Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of emergency treatments that were applied on National Forest System lands.

BAER Interagency Coordination:

Post-fire emergency response is a shared responsibility. There are several Federal, State and local agencies that have emergency response responsibilities or authorities in the post-fire environment. The BAER team coordinates with these agencies to look at the full scope and scale of the situation to reduce the potential threats to human life and property. It is important that BAER efforts are communicated with all affected and interested cooperating agencies and organizations regarding other post-fire recovery and restoration efforts.

BAER treatments cannot prevent all of the potential flooding or soil erosion impacts, especially after a wildfire-changed landscape. It is important for the public to stay informed and prepared for potentially dramatic increased run-off events.

One of the most effective BAER strategies is interagency coordination to provide post-fire threat information to local cooperators who can assist affected businesses, homes, and landowners to prepare for rain events. For example, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program for post-emergency assistance on private and tribal land, the National Weather Service (NWS) has responsibility for flood warning alerts, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has flood insurance and other responsibilities if the area is a Presidentially-declared emergency, Resource Conservation Districts (RCD) and counties, as well as State and local-highway and emergency services departments, Flood Control authorities, etc. It is important that landowners work directly with NRCS and other agencies to determine appropriate actions needed to protect private structures and other assets.

BAER Process:

BAER assessment teams are staffed by specially trained professionals that may include: hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, biologists, botanists, archeologists, and others who evaluate the burned area and prescribe temporary emergency stabilization actions on National Forest System lands to protect the land quickly and effectively. BAER assessments usually begin before a wildfire has been fully contained.

A BAER assessment team conducts field surveys and uses science-based models to rapidly evaluate and assess the burned area and prescribe emergency stabilization measures. The team generates a “Soil Burn Severity” map by using satellite imagery which is then validated and adjusted by BAER team field surveys to assess watershed conditions and model potential watershed response from the wildfire. The map identifies areas of soil burn severity by categories of very low/unburned, low, moderate, and high which may correspond to a projected increase in watershed response. The higher the burn severity, the less the soil will be able to absorb water when it rains. Without absorption, there will be increased run-off with the potential of flooding.

The BAER team presents these findings in an assessment report that identifies immediate and emergency actions needed to address post-fire risks to human life and safety, property, cultural and critical natural resources. This includes early detection and rapid response (EDRR) treatments to prevent the spread of noxious weeds into native plant communities. The BAER report describes watershed pre- and post-fire watershed response information, areas of concern for life and property, and recommended short-term emergency stabilization measures for Forest Service lands that burned.

In most cases, only a portion of the burned area is actually treated. Severely burned areas steep slopes, and places where water run-off will be excessive and may impact important resources, are focus areas and described in the BAER assessment report if they affect critical values. Response action timing is essential to ensure the emergency stabilization measures are effective.

There are a variety of emergency stabilization actions that the BAER team can recommend for Forest Service land such as mulching with agricultural straw or chipped wood to protect soil productivity, increasing road drainage to keep roads and bridges from washing-out during post-fire floods, and early detection rapid response invasive plant treatments to prevent spread of weeds into native plant communities. BAER treatments are preventative in nature but cannot prevent all damage, especially debris torrents in areas that are prone to sliding and have lost critical root structure from plants.

The Cans and Cannots of BAER:

What BAER Can Do:

• Install water or erosion control devices
• Seed or mulch for erosion control or stability reasons
• Install erosion control measures at critical cultural sites
• Install temporary barriers to protect treated or recovering areas
• Install warning signs
• Replace minor safety related facilities, like burned guard rails
• Install appropriate-sized drainage features on roads, trails
• Remove critical safety hazards
• Prevent permanent loss of T&E habitat
• Monitor BAER treatments
• Implement EDRR treatments to minimize the spread of noxious weeds into native plant communities

What BAER Cannot Do:

• Prevent all flooding and debris flows
• Replant commercial forests or grass for forage
• Excavate and interpret cultural sites
• Replace burned pasture fences
• Install interpretive signs
• Replace burned buildings, bridges, corrals, etc.
• Repair roads damaged by floods after fire
• Remove all hazard trees
• Replace burned habitat
• Monitor fire effects
• Treat pre-existing noxious weeds

BAER Funding:

Special Emergency Wildfire Suppression funds are authorized for BAER activities and the amount of these expenses varies with the severity of the fire season. Some years see little BAER activity while other years are extremely busy.

Because of the emergency nature of BAER, initial requests for funding of proposed BAER treatments are supposed to be submitted by the Forest Supervisor to the Regional Office within7 days of total containment of the fire. The Regional Forester’s approval authority for individual BAER projects is limited. Approval for BAER projects exceeding this limit is forwarded onto the Washington Office.

BAER SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events--be prepared to act. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at National Weather Service website: www.weather.gov/lox/.

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Key Elements of A BAER Assessment

Forest Service BAER assessment teams are established by Forest Supervisors before wildfires are fully contained. The teams coordinate and work with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), National Weather Service (NWS), local counties, State Department of Transportation, and other federal, state, and local agencies to strategically assess potential post-fire impacts to the watersheds burned from wildland fires.

The BAER assessment teams are evaluating watershed conditions to determine the level of potential risks to human life, safety, property, critical natural and cultural-heritage resources, and determine if there are appropriate and effective emergency stabilization measures that can be implemented on federal lands in a timely manner to reduce unacceptable risks from potential flooding and debris flow threats.

The BAER assessment team conducts field surveys and uses science-based models to rapidly evaluate and assess the burned area.

BAER assessment teams are staffed by specially trained professionals that may include: hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, geologists, biologists, botanists, archeologists, geographic information system mapping specialists, recreation and trails specialists, and others who evaluate the burned area and prescribe emergency response actions to protect the land quickly and effectively.

BAER assessments usually begin before a wildfire has been fully contained.

The BAER assessment team generates a “Soil Burn Severity” map by using satellite imagery which is then validated and adjusted by BAER team field surveys to assess watershed conditions and watershed response to the wildfire. The map identifies areas of soil burn severity by categories of low/unburned, moderate, and high which corresponds to a projected increase in watershed response.

The BAER team presents these findings and treatment recommendations to the Forest Supervisor in an assessment report that identifies immediate and emergency stabilization actions needed to address potential post-fire risks to human life and safety, property, cultural-heritage and critical natural resources on National Forest System lands.

The BAER report describes watershed pre- and post-fire response information, areas of concern for human life, safety and property, and recommended short-term emergency stabilization actions for federal lands that burned.

In most cases, only a portion of the burned area is actually treated.

If the BAER assessment team determines there may be potential emergency situations, the short-term goal is to have flood and erosion control protection measures completed before the first large, damaging rain events occur.

Timely implementation is critical if BAER emergency response actions are to be effective.

The BAER assessment team coordinates with other federal and local agencies, and counties that assist private landowners in preparing for increased run-off and potential flooding.

Federal assistance to private landowners regarding post-fire potential impacts is the primary responsibility of the NRCS through the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program (www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/landscape/ewpp/)

NRCS in coordination with additional state, local and federal agencies conduct damage survey reports for the private land adjacent to and downstream from the burned areas. NRCS uses these reports, along with the BAER team’s assessment report, to develop recommended emergency measures for businesses and private home and landowners to reduce the impacts to their property from potential increased water and debris flows.

BAER SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events--be prepared to act. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at National Weather Service website: www.weather.gov/lox/.

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Forest Service BAER Program Overview

The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program is designed to identify and manage potential risks to resources on National Forest System lands and reduce these threats through appropriate emergency measures to protect human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. BAER is an emergency program for stabilization work that involves time-critical activities to be completed before the first damaging event to meet program objectives:

BAER Objectives:

-   Determine whether imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands exist and take immediate actions, as appropriate, to manage the unacceptable risks.

-   If emergency conditions are identified, mitigate significant threats to health, safety, human life, property, and critical cultural and natural resources.

-   Prescribe emergency response actions to stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to natural and cultural resources, to minimize threats to critical values resulting from the effects of a fire, or to repair/replace/construct physical improvements necessary to prevent degradation of land or resources.

-   Implement emergency response actions to help stabilize soil; control water, sediment and debris movement and potentially reduce threats to the BAER critical values identified above when an analysis shows that planned actions are likely to reduce risks substantially within the first year following containment of the fire.

-   Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of emergency treatments that were applied on National Forest System lands.

While many wildfires cause minimal damage to the land and pose few threats to the land or people downstream, some fires result in damage that requires special efforts to reduce impacts afterwards. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; water run-off may increase, and cause flooding, soil and rock may move downstream and damage property or fill reservoirs putting community water supplies and endangered species at-risk.

The BAER team presents these findings in an assessment report that identifies immediate and emergency actions needed to address post-fire risks to human life and safety, property, cultural and critical natural resources. This includes early detection and rapid response (EDRR) treatments to prevent the spread of noxious weeds into native plant communities. The BAER report describes watershed pre- and post-fire watershed response information, areas of concern for life and property, and recommended short-term emergency stabilization measures for Forest Service lands that burned.

In most cases, only a portion of the burned area is actually treated. Severely burned areas steep slopes, and places where water run-off will be excessive and may impact important resources, are focus areas and described in the BAER assessment report if they affect critical values. Time is critical if the emergency stabilization measures are to be effective.

A BAER assessment team conducts field surveys and uses science-based models to rapidly evaluate and assess the burned area and prescribe emergency stabilization measures. The team generates a “Soil Burn Severity” map by using satellite imagery which is then validated and adjusted by BAER team field surveys to assess watershed conditions and model potential watershed response from the wildfire. The map identifies areas of soil burn severity by categories of very low/unburned, low, moderate, and high which may correspond to a projected increase in watershed response. The higher the burn severity, the less the soil will be able to absorb water when it rains. Without absorption, there will be increased run-off with the potential of flooding.

BAER Funding:

Special Emergency Wildfire Suppression funds are authorized for BAER activities and the amount of these expenses varies with the severity of the fire season. Some years see little BAER activity while other years are extremely busy.

Because of the emergency nature of BAER, initial requests for funding of proposed BAER treatments are supposed to be submitted by the Forest Supervisor to the Regional Office within 7 days of total containment of the fire. The Regional Forester’s approval authority for individual BAER projects is limited. Approval for BAER projects exceeding this limit is to the Washington Office.

BAER SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events-be prepared to act. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at National Weather Service website: www.weather.gov/lox/.

The Willamette National Forest has issued an emergency closure order for the Pyramid and Slate Fires to provide for public safety. The closure order is effective through November 15, 2024, unless rescinded or modified sooner.

This Order supersedes Forest Order #06-18-03-24-16. Please refer to exhibit A for the map and exhibit B for trails, and recreation sites that are closed.