Prineville, Ore. – Oregon Department of Forestry’s John Day Unit will terminate Regulated-Use Closure at 12:01 a.m., Friday, October 14, 2022. These wildfire prevention measures were terminated for The Dalles and Prineville units on October 7th. Fire Season remains in effect across the Central Oregon District.
“We caution the public to be mindful of activities which could start a fire as we continue to see unseasonably warm, dry weather this fall,” says Brian Reel, Stewardship Forester for The Dalles Unit. “While fire danger has lessened with cooler nights and increased humidity, we can still have rapidly spreading fires during the heat of the day.”
Wildland fuels, including live vegetation and down wood material are extremely dry. Limited precipitation, combined with long-term drought conditions continue to elevate the risk of fire ignition and increase fire behavior in wildland fuels. Fire managers regularly evaluate conditions to determine current fire danger and necessary restrictions to limit impacts from wildfires.
During Fire Season backyard debris burning, including burn barrels is allowed by permit only. Many counties have burn bans in place prohibiting debris burning at this time. Check restrictions in your local area to help prevent wildfires.
Other activities prohibited during fire season include smoking in forest operation areas, blasting without a permit, use of exploding targets and tracer ammunition. In addition to these restrictions forest operations are required to follow prevention guidelines which are available at www.oregon.gov/odf. These guidelines are intended to reduce the risk of fire ignition, quickly detect fires, and allow for a swift suppression response.
Failure to follow Fire Season restrictions can result in citations, fines, and liability for costs associated with putting fires out. Wildfires impact public health, water quality, soil productivity, landowners, and local communities and businesses.
For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including Regulated-Use Closure restrictions and contact information, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.